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HE  GREAT  CHIEF 

LEGENDS:OF    TH!: 

MICMAC  INDIANS 
PARTRI D  GE 


GLOOSCAP  THE  GREAT  CHIEF 
AND  OTHER  STORIES 


Commended  in  the  highest  terms 
by  the  highest  authorities. 

STORY-TELLING 
IN  SCHOOL  and  HOME 

A  Study  in  Educational  Esthetics 

By 
Emelyn  Newcomb  Partridge 

Story-Teller  for  the  Bancroft  School 

and 
G.  E.  Partridge,  Ph.D. 

Author  of  '  'Genetic  Philosophy 
of  Education,"  etc. 

\2rno.    Illustrated.    $1.25  net. 

All  a  teacher  or  story-teller  needs  to 
know  about  story-telling,  and  plenty  of 
good  stories  of  various  types  to  tell. 


The  Rev.  Dr.  Silas  Tertius  Rand  and  two  Mic-mac  Indian  boys 

From  a  photograph  loaned  by  Mrs.  Enos  CJmchill  of  Darmouih, 
Nova  Scotia. 


GLOOSCAP  THE  GREAT 

CHIEF  AND  OTHER 

STORIES 

LEGENDS  OF  THE  MICMACS 


BY 
EMELYN  NEWCOMB  PARTRIDGE 

STORY-TELLER  FOE  BANCROFT  SCHOOL  AND  GARDEN  CITIES,  WORCESTER, 

MASSACHUSETTS;  AND  AUTHOR   (WITH  G.  E.  PARTRIDGE) 

OF  "STORY-TELLING  IN  SCHOOL  AND  HOME." 


ILLUSTRATED 


STURGIS  &  WALTON 

COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright,  1918 
BY  STURGIS  &  WALTON  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  S  ptember.  1913 


TO 
MY  DEAR 

MOTHER  AND  FATHER 

THESE  MICMAC  LEGENDS 
ARE  LOVINGLY  INSCRIBED 


M190312 


PEEFACE 

One  of  my  earliest  recollections  is  of  being 
alone  on  the  playhouse  steps  learning  to  fly.  It 
may  have  been  the  roar  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy 
— for  we  lived  beside  it — or  because  I  was  so 
engrossed  in  my  task,  that  I  did  not  hear  the 
approach  of  any  one,  until  suddenly  a  great  ter 
ror  seized  me  and  I  saw  close  beside  me  several 
giant  dogs,  and  behind  them  a  group  of  Indians 
with  baskets  on  their  backs.  Then  there  is  the 
memory  of  being  comforted  by  my  mother  and 
of  my  surprise  and  interest  at  seeing  the 
strange  people  partaking  of  her  hospitality. 

This  was  my  first  acquaintance  with  the  Mic- 
macs.  Afterwards  such  scenes  became  fa 
miliar.  I  frequently  heard  my  parents  talk 
about  the  work  of  Dr.  Eand — the  first  protes- 
tant  missionary  among  these  Indians;  and 
whenever  Dr.  Rand  was  in  that  locality  he  was 
a  visitor  in  our  home,  for  he  was  a  kinsman. 
It  was  then  that  I  learned  of  the  legends  of 
Glooscap. 

With  such  recollections  hovering  in  conscious 
ness  it  was  natural,  when  a  few  summers  ago 
I  was  searching  for  new  stories  to  tell  to  my 
playground  children,  that  I  should  turn  back  to 


vi  PREFACE 

the  memories  of  childhood,  and  consider  how 
I  could  make  use  of  these  but  little  known 
legends.  I  was  surprised  to  find  how  eagerly 
the  children  listened  to  the  tales,  and  how  in 
sistently  they  clamoured  for  more.  Since  that 
summer  I  have  told  them  to  many  others  of  all 
ages,  in  many  places,  and  finding  that  they  have 
always  aroused  deep  interest,  I  decided  to  re 
tell  them  for  a  wider  public  than  they  have  hith 
erto  reached.  And  so  I  am  sending  them  out 
for  the  use  of  children,  parents,  and  teachers — 
the  story  lovers  and  the  story  tellers. 

The  main  source  from  which  I  have  drawn  is 
Rand's  Legends  of  the  Micmacs,  published  by 
Wellesley  College  from  the  manuscripts  of  Dr. 
Band  purchased  for  that  institution  by  Profes 
sor  E,  N.  Horsford.  I  have  also  made  some 
use  of  Leland's  The  Algonquin  Legends  of  New 
England,  and  of  Kuloskap  the  Master  by  Le- 
land  and  Prince.  And  I  have  had  access  to  the 
Band  manuscripts  in  the  possession  of  the  de 
partment  of  comparative  philology  of  Wellesley 
College. 

Acknowledgments  are  gratefully  made,  fore 
most  of  all,  to  my  husband,  who  has  helped  me, 
step  by  step,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  book : 

To  Wellesley  College  and  to  the  familv  of 


PREFACE  vii 

Professor  E.  N.  Horsford  for  permission  to  use 
the  Band  publication  and  manuscripts: 

To  the  librarians  of  Clark  University  and  of 
the  Free  Public  Library  of  Worcester  for  their 
never  failing  courtesy  and  aid: 

To  Dr.  Alexander  F.  Chamberlain  of  Clark 
University  who  has  obligingly  answered  per 
plexing  questions  about  the  Indians : 

To  Mrs.  John  Bentley  of  Halifax  who  kindly 
loaned  me  her  copy  of  the  now  rare  Legends  of 
the  Micmacs: 

To  Miss  Hattie  Band  who  gave  me  an  inti 
mate  view  of  her  father's  life  and  work: 

To  my  dear  father,  for  many  talks  about  his 
own  acquaintance  with  Micmac  Indians,  and  for 
numerous  anecdotes  about  Dr.  Band,  both  of 
which  gave  me  a  better  equipment  for  the  prep 
aration  of  these  legends: 

And  last,  my  indebtedness  is  reverently 
acknowledged  to  her  whose  life  was  an  inspira 
tion  to  those  who  knew  her,  and  whose  teach 
ings  were  consistent  with  her  life. 

EMELYN  NEWCOMB  PARTRIDGE. 

Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
January  16,  1913. 


INTEODUCTION 

"This  is  the  forest  primeval.  The  murmuring  pines 
and  the  hemlocks, 

Bearded  with  moss,  and  in  garments  green,  indistinct 
in  the  twilight, 

Stand  like  Druids  of  eld,  with  voices  sad  and  pro 
phetic, 

Stand  like  harpers  hoar,  with  beards  that  rest  on  their 
bosoms. 

Loud  from  its  rocky  caverns,  the  deep-voiced  neigh 
bouring  ocean 

Speaks,  and  in  accents  disconsolate  answers  the  wail 
of  the  forest." 

The  stories  told  in  this  book  will  be  read  with 
greater  sympathy  and  understanding  if  one 
knows  something  about  the  people  who  pro 
duced  them — about  their  history  and  the  ori 
gin  of  their  legends.  For  these  tales  are  not 
merely  stories;  they  are  fragments  of  the  men 
tal  life  of  an  ancient  race.  If  one  is  to  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  the  stories,  he  must,  so  far  as 
he  can,  forget  for  the  moment  the  environment 
of  civilised  life;  he  must  place  himself,  in 
fancy,  in  the  ancient  forest  before  the  coming 
of  the  white  man,  and  partake  of  the  life  and 
the  thought  and  the  feelings  of  its  people. 

ix 


x  INTRODUCTION 

The  Micmac  Indians,  from  whom  these 
legends  were  gathered,  lived  chiefly  in  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick.  How  numerous 
they  once  were  no  one  can  tell,  but  there  are 
now  about  four  thousand  to  bear  witness  to 
their  former  greatness,  of  which  they  still 
boast.  The  Micmacs,  with  the  Penobscot,  the 
Passamaquoddy,  the  Maliseet,  and  a  few  smal 
ler  tribes  make  up  the  Wabanaki  family,  a 
branch  of  the  Algonquin  Nation,  the  most 
widely  extended  of  the  six  great  divisions  of 
North  American  aborigines.  The  Passama 
quoddy  are  of  New  Brunswick  and  Maine,  and 
the  Penobscot  of  Maine  and  lower  New  Eng 
land.  The  most  important  fact  about  the  Wa 
banaki  is  that  they  were  united  by  the  common 
possession  of  a  deity  or  demi-god  called  Gloos- 
cap,  about  whom  developed  an  exceedingly  rich 
and  imaginative  mythology. 

Little  was  known  about  the  Micmacs  in  a  defi 
nite  way  until  1846,  when  Dr.  Silas  T.  Rand 
of  Nova  Scotia  began  his  work  as  missionary 
among  them.  Dr.  Band  was  a  man  of  broad 
learning,  and  one  of  the  best  linguists  America 
has  produced.  Throughout  a  long  and  remark 
ably  industrious  life  his  interest  in  these  peo 
ple  never  waned.  He  translated  the  Bible  into 
their  language,  and  with  great  care  accumu 
lated  a  dictionary  of  forty  thousand  of  their 
Words.  He  wrote  articles  about  their  language 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

and  customs,  in  which  he  manifested  his  grow 
ing  admiration  for  their  intelligence  and  char 
acter. 

Dr.  Rand's  wide  knowledge  of  many  lan 
guages  naturally  led  him  to  a  close  study  of 
the  language  of  the  Micmacs;  and  his  opinion 
must  be  accepted  as  of  the  highest  value.  In 
stead  of  finding  this  language  poor  and  limited, 
as  he  had  expected,  he  soon  discovered  it  to  b^ 
quite  the  reverse,  remarkably  flexible  and  ex 
pressive.  "In  declension  of  nouns,  and  in  con 
jugation  of  verbs  it  is  as  regular  as  the  Greek, 
and  twenty  times  as  copious !"  he  exclaims; 
and  to  a  profound  student  of  Greek  this  must 
indeed  have  excited  wonder  and  admiration,  for 
in  that  day  much  less  was  known  than  now 
about  the  languages  of  primitive  peoples.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  he  was  astonished  when 
he  found  that  a  single  verb  of  this  language,  if 
given  in  all  its  modifications,  would  fill  a  vol 
ume;  that  there  were  indicative,  imperative, 
subjunctive,  potential,  and  infinitive  moods,  and 
in  the  indicative  the  forms  of  eleven  tenses ; 
that  there  were  active,  passive  and  middle 
voices,  and  great  flexibility  in  compounding 
words,  as  in  the  German  and  Greek;  that  al 
most  any  word  in  the  Micmac  could  take  on  the 
verbal  form,  and  then  could  be  inflected 
throughout  all  moods  and  tenses — for  it  was 
quite  natural  then  for  a  scholar  to  suppose  that 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

language  had  grown  up  to  meet  the  needs  of 
civilisation  and  the  writing  of  books,  and  to 
fail  to  see  how  rich  and  varied  was  the  life  in 
the  primitive  forest,  and  how  ancient  and  deep 
were  its  thoughts.  This  was  before  the  day  of 
Darwin. 

The  Indian  who  moves  through  these  stories 
we  must  think  of  as  dressed  in  skins,  painted 
of  body,  decorated  with  brightly  coloured  shells 
and  feathers.  His  weapons  were  the  bow  and 
arrows  with  heads  of  stone.  His  days  were 
spent  in  hunting  and  fishing  and  in  warfare. 
His  home  was  the  wigwam,  and  one  has  but  to 
hear  his  stories  to  know  how  great  a  part  this 
place  of  shelter  played  in  his  daily  life  and  in 
all  his  thoughts.  The  Micmac's  land  was  cold 
in  the  winter;  his  lodge  was  firmly  framed  of 
strong  trunks  of  trees,  and  made  tight  with 
rows  of  bark,  and  lined  with  boughs  of  spruce 
against  the  winter  winds.  Smaller  branches 
he  used  for  carpets,  cushions  and  beds,  and 
springing  boughs  closed  the  doorway.  Man 
has  many  terms  for  that  which  is  nearest  his 
heart.  The  Micmac  called  the  minutest  part 
of  his  lodge  by  its  name.  Each  post,  bar  and 
fastening,  every  tier  of  bark  and  every  ap 
pendage  had  its  specific  designation ;  and  every 
part  of  the  wigwam  had  its  precise  use,  fixed 
by  inviolable  custom  and  law. 

The  wigwam  was  the  centre  of  all  the  social 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

life  of  the  Indian.  Obedience  to  the  laws  and 
traditions  of  the  wigwam  was  the  beginning  of 
the  education  of  his  children;  by  these  laws  he 
taught  respect  for  custom  and  for  parents. 
Form  and  etiquette  were  as  dear  to  the  savage 
as  to  us,  and  gentle  breeding  was  as  well  marked 
by  the  habits  in  the  home.  The  stranger  within 
the  wigwam  was  always  treated  with  the  most 
formal  politeness  and  yet  with  the  warmest  hos 
pitality.  Violation  of  this  first  law  of  social 
life  would  have  been  exceeded  in  rudeness  only 
by  a  neglect,  on  the  part  of  the  guest,  of  the 
equally  precise  part  that  was  prescribed  for 
him. 

If  we  are  accustomed  to  think  of  the  life  of 
the  savage  as  lacking  in  order  and  discipline 
we  need  but  to  look  into  the  wigwam  to  under 
stand  our  mistake.  In  the  centre  is  the  fire, 
by  one  side  of  which  sit  the  master  and  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  the  wife's  place  nearest 
the  door.  On  the  other  side  of  the  fire  are  the 
old  people,  and  the  younger  members  of  the 
family.  Toward  the  end  of  the  wigwam,  far 
from  the  door,  is  the  seat  of  honour,  and  here 
sits  the  welcomed  guest.  The  men  sit  cross- 
legged,  as  is  the  custom,  the  women  with  the 
feet  curled  to  the  side,  and  the  children  with 
theirs  freely  extended. 

If  love  and  marriage  are  the  greatest  part 
of  life  as  they  are  of  the  story,  whether  of  the 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

savage  or  of  civilised  man,  the  wedding  cere 
mony  of  the  Micmac  may  be  said  most  truly  to 
represent  him.  Courtship  was  brief,  but  often 
dramatic.  If  a  suitor  were  acceptable  to  the 
old  people,  who  had  the  power  of  disposing  of 
their  daughters,  he  was  addressed  as  "son-in- 
law  ' '  when  he  entered  the  wigwam,  and  was  in 
vited  to  the  seat  of  honour.  This  consummated 
the  marriage.  A  feast  was  prepared;  the 
neighbours  were  invited  in;  they  ate,  danced, 
and  played  games;  then  all  dispersed  and  the 
young  man  took  the  bride  to  her  new  home. 

But l '  the  older  order  changeth,  yielding  place 
to  new."  Now,  the  Micmacs  live  in  houses  and 
till  the  ground  and  wear  the  garb  and  cultivate 
the  vices  of  civilisation.  They  no  longer  en 
gage  in  war,  and  torture  and  burn  their  pris 
oners.  But  they  still  maintain  the  custom  of 
electing  their  chiefs  as  of  old,  when  envoys  of 
the  ten  tribes  which  range  from  Cape  Breton 
to  Western  Canada  meet  in  council.  And  they 
still  hold  their  annual  festival  and  mystic  dance 
of  the  sakawaclikik, — Indians  of  olden  times. 

The  legends  of  the  Micmacs  were  buried 
treasure  until  Dr.  Band  unearthed  them.  To 
him  belongs  the  credit  of  having  discovered 
Glooscap,  the  Ukchesakumou  (Great  Chief),  the 
Master,  the  Lord  of  Men  and  Beasts,  whom  the 
Indians  believed  lived  at  Blomidon,  still  called 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

by  them  Glooscap-week  ( Glooscap 's  Home). 
Once  Dr.  Band  asked  an  Indian  whether  he 
really  believed  that  such  a  person  as  Glooscap 
ever  lived.  The  Micmac  looked  at  him  in  sur 
prise. 

"Why!"  he  exclaimed,  looking  about  him, 
"Why,  all  dese  pitty  stones,  him,  lie  makum!" 

Surely  this  was  conclusive  evidence! 

Another  Indian,  Stephen,  said  of  Glooscap: 

"He  is  not  far  from  any  of  the  Indians." 
And  the  Micmac,  Benjamin  Brooks,  said: 

"The  Indians  did  not  know  where  he  was, 
and  therefore  they  did  not  know  which  way  to 
go ;  but  they  knew  that  while  he  was  with  them 
he  was  never  very  far  away,  and  that  he  could 
always  be  found  by  those  who  diligently  sought 
him." 

And  still  another  spoke  of  the  Master  in  these 
words : 

"He  loved  mankind,  and  whenever  he  might 
be  in  the  wilderness,  he  was  never  very  far 
from  any  Indian.  He  dwelt  in  a  lonely  land, 
but  whenever  they  sought  him  they  found  him." 

"These  were  his  very  words,"  writes  Dr. 
Eand,  "and  he  had  no  idea  that  he  was  using 
almost  the  exact  words  of  Holy  Writ  with  ref 
erence  to  God." 

"This  remarkable  personage,"  the  mission 
ary  continues,  "figures  in  all  their  atookwo- 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

kuns.  Here  is  evidently  a  clear  conception  of 
God  as  the  friend,  companion,  guide,  instructor 
and  helper  of  the  human  race." 

In  the  Micmac's  belief,  Glooscap  looked  and 
lived  like  other  Indians.  But  he  was  never 
sick;  he  never  grew  old;  he  never  died.  He 
was  not  married,  but  a  venerable  old  woman, 
whom  he  called  Noogumee  (grandmother)  and 
a  little  servant,  Marten,  kept  his  lodge  for  him. 
This  great  wigwam  was  on  Cape  Blomidon. 
Minas  Basin  was  his  beaver  pond.  The  dam 
was  at  Cape  Split,  but  Glooscap,  once  angry 
with  the  treacherous  beavers,  tore  open  the  dam 
and  the  water  rushed  through.  The  Micmacs 
still  call  the  place  Pleegum,  which  means,  "the 
opening  made  in  a  beaver  dam."  What  is  now 
Spencer's  Island,  the  Indians  to  this  day  point 
out  as  the  Master's  kettle,  a  huge  stone;  and 
near  the  kettle  which  he  overturned  when  he 
went  away,  his  faithful  dogs,  transformed  into 
rock,  await  their  Master's  return. 

To  Glooscap  the  Indians  give  thanks  for  all 
their  knowledge.  It  was  he,  they  say,  who 
taught  them  to  hunt  and  to  build  their  weirs 
for  fish.  He  told  them  what  animals  and  what 
fish  were  suitable  to  be  their  food.  He  taught 
them  the  hidden  virtues  of  plants,  roots  and 
barks.  He  told  them  the  names  of  all  the  stars. 
He  travelled  far  and  wide  among  his  people, 
and  there  is  not  a  place  in  all  the  land  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

Wabanaki   that   did   not  know   Glooscap,   the 
Great  Chief. 

The  legends  of  Glooscap,  which  Dr.  Eand  and 
those  who  have  followed  him  have  gathered, 
are  parts  of  a  great  mythology  telling  the  story 
of  a  hero  whom  Leland  asserts  is  the  most 
Aryan-like  character  ever  conceived  by  the 
mind  of  a  savage  race.  Aside  from  their  in 
terest  as  stories  they  involve  many  intricate 
problems  in  the  field  of  literature  and  racial 
development.  We  do  not  know  precisely  how 
they  originated,  whether  they  are  entirely  the 
creation  of  the  Indian,  or  whether  they  have 
been  influenced  greatly  by  contact  with  other 
peoples,  by  the  great  waves  of  migration  that 
have  from  time  to  time  swept  over  the  world. 

Leland  points  out  curious  similarities  be 
tween  the  Wabanaki  (which  includes  the  Mic- 
mac)  mythology  and  the  Norse.  In  both,  man 
was  made  from  the  Ash  tree,  and  was  without 
sense  until  the  creator  endowed  him  with  it. 
Odin's  messengers  were  two  ravens.  The  mes 
sengers  of  Glooscap  were  two  loons.  Both 
were  often  troubled  by  the  unreliability  of  these 
servants.  For  his  "dogs"  (beasts  of  burden) 
Glooscap  had  two  wolves,  one  white  and  the 
other  black,  typifying  day  and  night.  In  the 
Eddas  we  read, 

" Magic  songs  they  sang: 
Eode   on  wolves, 
The  God  and  gods." 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

In  the  last  day  an  earthquake  will  announce 
the  mighty  battle  which  Glooscap  will  fight  with 
his  enemies,  the  giants  and  sorcerers,  suggest 
ing  the  last  great  battle  on  the  plain  Vigrid,  in 
which  the  drama  of  the  gods  culminates,  in  the 
Icelandic  sagas. 

Both  the  Norse  and  the  Micmac  mythologies 
have  a  mischief-maker,  in  the  Indian  legends 
appearing  as  the  badger,  or  woodchuck,  or  wol 
verine,  or  merry  Lox,  who  is  also  a  man. 

Again  the  mighty  giant,  Kitpooseagunow, 
the  friend  of  the  Master,  suggests  Thor.  In 
the  fishing  trip  of  Glooscap  and  Kitpoosea 
gunow  one  is  reminded  of  the  visit  of  Thor  to 
Hymir,  and  of  the  scene  in  the  boat  when  Thor 
caught  up  the  head  of  the  great  Midgard  ser 
pent  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

Whether  there  is  more  than  accidental  re 
semblances,  in  these  stories  of  the  two  mytholo 
gies,  or  more  than  such  likeness  as  grows  out 
of  the  common  nature  of  the  minds  of  men  and 
the  similarity  of  the  materials  which  they  .have 
wrought,  we  will  leave  to  the  ethnologists  to 
decide.  That  the  interesting  theory  that  these 
old  stories  are  one  in  origin  is  discountenanced 
now  by  many  scientists  only  leaves  the  prob 
lem  of  these  strange  relations  of  the  Norse 
and  Indian  heroes  the  more  deep  and  perplex 
ing. 

We  have  mentioned  now  two  of  the  three 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

great  Indian  heroes:  Glooscap  and  Kitpoosea- 
gunow,  about  each  of  whom  is  woven  a  story, 
of  which  we  have  but  a  part.  There  is  a  third 
hero,  Pulowech,  who,  it  seems,  belongs  to  an 
earlier  cycle  of  stories  than  the  others — to  the 
days  "in  the  long  ago,  when  men  were  as  ani 
mals  and  animals  as  men,"  as  the  Indian  him 
self  says.  These  are,  perhaps,  like  the  stories 
of  Glooscap,  fragments  of  an  epic  poem,  and  one 
day  the  other  fragments  may  be  found,  and  all 
be  welded  together  to  make  a  connected  whole, 
as  ethnologists  have  almost  succeeded  in  do 
ing  with  the  Glooscap  legends. 

The  Indian 's  fear  of  nature  and  the  unknown 
has  taken  form  in  his  belief  in  giants,  which 
everywhere  seems  to  shadow  him,  and  which 
gives  to  his  stories  an  air  of  mystery  and  trag 
edy.  The  Culloo  and  the  Chenoo  seem  never 
far  from  his  mind.  The  Culloo  was  a  giant 
cannibal  bird  with  a  hundred  claws.  He  ruled 
in  a  kingdom  beyond  the  sky.  When  he  needed 
provisions  he  would  fly  to  the  earth,  and 
stretching  out  one  of  his  huge  claws,  he  would 
seize  a  whole  village  full  of  people  and  carry 
them  away  to  his  own  country,  where  he  could 
devour  them  at  leisure. 

The  Chenoo,  also,  was  a  cannibal,  a  giant 
from  the  north  with  heart  of  ice  and  stone. 
He  was  a  monster  with  extraordinary  powers 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

of  evil,  and  the  Indians  feared  these  creatures 
of  the  imagination  all  the  more  because  they 
believed  that  they  were  men  who  had  been 
transformed  into  giants  because  of  their  evil 
deeds. 

The  Micmacs  believed  in  necromancy.  Boo- 
dins  (wizards)  appear  frequently  in  their  atook- 
wokuns.  The  Boooin  could  fly  through  the  air ; 
he  could  pass  through  the  earth;  he  could 
remain  under  water  as  long  as  he  wished; 
and  he  could  perform  many  other  feats 
of  magic.  The  Megumoowesoo  was  a  magician 
of  a  higher  type,  a  man  endowed  with  super 
natural  powers,  which  he  always  used  for  good. 
The  Indians  of  Dr.  Band's  day  believed  as 
firmly  in  all  these  creatures  of  the  fancy  as  did 
those  of  the  olden  times. 

Like  all  primitive  peoples  the  Micmacs  were 
the  possessors  of  many  animal  stories,  which 
often  show  both  keen  sense  of  humour  and  rare 
worldly  wisdom.  Ableegumooch,  the  lazy  rab 
bit,  plainly  exemplifies  the  lazy  Indian,  and  he 
is  well  punished  for  his  fault;  while  in  his 
transformation  of  character  and  final  retalia 
tion  upon  the  Otter  by  his  magic,  he  is  repre 
senting  the  Indian's  belief  in  the  power  of  the 
will  to  carry  man  to  greater  heights. 

There  are  other  types  of  stories  among  the 
legends  recorded  by  Dr.  Rand.  There  are  his 
torical  tales  which  show  the  irresistible  craving 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

of  man  to  idealise,  to  mingle  fiction  with  his 
fact,  to  express  his  love  of  the  heroic  and  his 
belief  in  the  supernatural.  Most  curious  of  all 
among  these  legends  are  many  fairy  tales  in 
which  the  prince,  fairy,  and  ogre  of  the  conven 
tional  nursery  tale  walk  hand  in  hand  with  be 
ings  of  the  forest.  These  stories  have  plainly 
come  to  the  Indian  in  recent  times,  but  in  their 
forest  garb  they  are  wonderfully  interesting, 
and  show  vividly  the  genius  of  the  primitive 
thought. 

Wonderful  as  these  products  of  savage  mind 
may  seem  to  one  who  for  the  first  time  discov 
ers  that  primitive  life  is  not  all  physical,  but 
is  filled  with  poetry  and  religion,  it  seems 
stranger  still  to  realize  that  the  rich  and  va 
ried  fancies  of  the  Micmacs  are  but  examples 
of  many  such  fruits  of  the  mind  of  man,  which 
have  either  wholly  or  in  part  disappeared  and 
have  now  passed  beyond  recall.  It  is  sad  to 
believe  that  this  is  so,  not  only  because  the  loss 
of  anything  rare  and  beautiful  that  the  im 
agination  of  man  has  produced  must  ever  be  a 
cause  of  regret,  but  also  because  there  seems 
to  be  in  these  old  tales  something  that  comes 
very  near  to  the  heart  of  the  child  of  our  own 
later  day — something  warm  and  intimate  and 
natural  which  he  feels  and  claims  as  his  own; 
the  love  of  which,  we  may  believe,  shows  the 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

kinship  of  this  child  of  ours  with  the  life  of 
the  ancient  forest. 

"This  is  the  forest  primeval.  The  murmuring  pines 
and  the  hemlocks, 

Bearded  with  moss,  and  in  garments  green,  indis 
tinct  in  the  twilight, 

Stand  like  Druids  of  eld,  with  voices  sad  and  pro 
phetic, 

Stand  like  harpers  hoar,  with  heards  that  rest  on 
their  hosoms. 

Loud  from  its  rocky  caverns,  the  deep-voiced  neigh 
bouring  ocean 

Speaks,  and  in  accents  disconsolate  answers  the  wail 
of  the  forest." 


CONTENTS 

(Unless  otherwise  stated,  the  stories  named  be 
low  are  adapted  from  Rand's  Legends  of  the  Mic- 
macs.) 

WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST 

PAGE 

Oochigeaskw  the  Little  Scarred  Girl  ....       3 

The  Deserted  Children.     Part  I 11 

The  Deserted  Children.     Part  II 25 

The  Beautiful  Bride 34 

The  Star  Wives 42 

Oochigeopch  the  Scarred  Young  Brave   ...     49 

Mooin  the  Bear's   Child 53 

The  Giant  Magicians 59 

An  Adventure  With  a  Chenoo 66 

The  Magical  Dancing  Doll 77 

The  Magical  Hair  String 91 

The  Children  and  the  Loon  Magician  ....     95 
Mimkudawogoosk  the  Moosewood  Man     .     .     .  103 

The  Ice  King 110 

Pulowech  and  the  Sea  Maiden 113 

How  Pulowech  Avenged  the  Sea  Maiden  .      .      .  118 
The  Giant's  Son  and  the  Beautiful  Maiden     .      .  126 
Kitpooseagunow  the  Avenger     .      .     ....   132 

The  Forest  Maiden 145 

Adapted  from  Leland's  the  Algonquin  Legends  of 
New  England. 


CONTENTS 

ANIMAL  STORIES 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  ABLEEGUMOOCH,  THE  RABBIT 

PAGE 

How  Ableegumooch   Was   Punished   For  His 
Laziness 153 

How  Ableegumooch  Retaliated  Upon  the  Otter  160 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  BADGER 
How  the  Badger  Made  Mrs.  Bear  Blind     .     .  164 

The  Badger  and  the  Birds 167 

The  Badger  and  the  Star  Wives 171 

How  the  Culloo  Punished  the  Badger  .  .  .  177 
The  Badger  and  the  Rock  Magician  ....  182 
How  the  Badger  Made  the  Magical  Fire  .  .  185 

Adapted  from  Leland  and  Prince  Kuloskap  The 
Master  and  from  Leland's  the  Algonquin  Legends 
of  New  England. 

FAIRY  TALES 

The  Silly  Son 191 

The  Prince  Who  Went  Seeking  His  Sisters     .      .  205 

The  Magical  Belt 221 

Coolnajoo  the  Stupid 229 

The  Boy  Who  Rescued  His  Brother     ....  237 

LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  THE  GREAT  CHIEF 
How  Glooscap  Found  the  Summer       ....  245 

Adapted  from  Leland  and  Prince  Kuloskap  The 
Master  and  from  Leland's  the  Algonquin  Legends 
of  New  England. 

How  Glooscap  Conquered  His  Enemies     .     .     .  247 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Return  of  Glooscap 257 

How  Glooscap  Transformed  the  Indian     ...  265 
How  Glooscap  Defeated  the  Sorcerers       ...  274 

Adapted  from  Leland  and  Prince  Kuloskap  The 
Master  and  from  Leland's  the  Algonquin  Legends 
of  New  England. 

How  Glooscap  Was  Conquered  by  Wasis  ...  278 

Adapted  from  Leland  and  Prince  Kuloskap  The 
Master  and  from  Leland's  the  Algonquin  Legends 
of  New  England. 

How  the  Indians  Sought  the  Great  Chief  ...  281 
Glossary 291 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Silas  Tertius  Rand,  and 

Two  Micmac  Indian  Boys     .      .      .  Frontispiece 

J-ACINO 
PAOB 

Cape  Split xvi 

Glooscap  Destroying  Malsum,  the  Wolf     ...     52 
Blomidon,   the  Home  of  Glooscap 142 

Badger  Making  Magical  Fire  as  the  Wolf  had 

Directed 186 

Glooscap  Watching  Bootup 228 

Glooscap 's  Magical   Dogs   Destroying  the   Two 
Maiden  Sorcerers 252 

Glooscap  and  Kitpooseagunow  Fishing  for  Whales  262 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST 


Glooscap  and  Other  Stories 

OOCHIGEASKW  THE  LITTLE  SCABBED 
GIBL 

IN  the  olden  time  there  was  a  large  Indian 
village  on  the  shore  of  a  great  lake.  At  one 
end  of  the  village  there  lived  an  Indian  with  his 
three  daughters.  The  mother  was  dead,  and 
the  two  elder  daughters  did  all  the  work  of  the 
wigwam. 

The  youngest  child  was  a  timid,  sickly  little 
girl.  Her  sisters  hated  her  and  were  very 
cruel  to  her.  When  her  father  was  away  on 
hunting  trips,  they  would  beat  her  and  abuse 
her  in  every  way  they  could  think  of.  They 
would  even  burn  her  with  hot  ashes  and  fire 
brands.  After  a  while,  the  little  girl  became  so 
covered  with  burns  that  they  left  scars  all  over 
her  face  and  body;  and  her  hair  was  singed 
close  to  her  skin. 

When  her  father  returned  from  a  hunting 
trip  and  saw  her,  he  said : 

*  *  Why  are  you  so  burned  and  scarred  f ' '  But 
she  was  so  afraid  of  her  sisters  that  she  dared 
not  tell  him. 

"Oh,  she  is  determined  to  play  in  the  hot 

3 


4          GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ashes,"  the  cruel  sisters  said.  "We  cannot 
keep  her  away  from  them  and  so  she  is 
burned. ' ' 

After  a  while  the  cruel  sisters  began  calling 
the  little  girl  Oochigeaskic,  Little  Scarred  One. 
And  then  all  of  the  Indians  about,  even  her 
father,  called  her  Oochigeaskw.  So  this  be 
came  her  name — the  only  name  she  had — Little 
Scarred  One.  She  had  no  playmates — for  who 
would  want  to  play  with  such  a  scarred  little 
creature  ? 

Little  Oochigeaskw  was  often  very  lonely. 
She  would  sit  on  the  shore  and  look  away 
across  the  water  and  long  for  her  mother  to 
come  back  to  her.  She  knew  that  if  only  her 
mother  were  with  her,  all  would  be  changed. 
There  would  be  no  cruel  sisters:  there  would 
be  no  scars  and  sores:  people  would  not  taunt 
her  and  point  their  fingers  at  her:  she  would 
not  be  lonely  any  more. 

But  wish  as  much  as  she  might  the  mother 
never  came  back  to  Oochigeaskw,  for  she  was 
dead. 

Now,  away  at  the  other  end  of  the  village 
there  lived  a  young  Indian  brave  with  his  sis 
ter.  This  brave's  name  was  Team — moose;* 
for  his  teomul — the  one  who  guarded  him  and 
gave  him  magical  power — was  a  moose.  Team 

*  Pronounced   in   two  syllables,   Te-am. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST         5 

could  make  himself  invisible  to  every  one  but 
his  sister.  And  he  knew  that  when  there 
should  be  an  Indian  maiden  who  had  the  power 
to  see  him  when  he  was  invisible  to  other  peo 
ple,  she  would  be  the  one  meant  for  his  wife. 
So  he  sent  out  word  that  whatever  maiden 
should  see  him,  her  would  he  marry. 

Team  was  brave  and  handsome;  he  had  the 
finest  lodge  in  the  village ;  he  caught  more  game 
than  any  of  the  other  Indians;  so  of  course, 
every  maiden  longed  to  see  him,  and  to  be  the 
fortunate  one. 

They  visited  his  lodge,  sometimes  going 
alone  and  sometimes  in  twos  or  threes. 
Team's  sister  would  entertain  them  kindly, 
then  toward  sunset  she  would  take  them  to  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  When  the  sound  of  Team's 
paddle  could  be  heard,  the  sister  would  ask : 

"Do  you  see  my  brother?"  The  girls  would 
strain  their  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
but  they  could  never  see  Team.  Sometimes 
one  would  think  that  she  could  make  believe  see 
him,  and  that  they  would  not  find  out;  so  she 
would  answer: 

"Yes,  I  see  him."  Then  the  sister  would 
ask: 

"Of  what  is  his  shoulder  strap  made?" 

Now  there  were  only  two  things  the  Indians 
used  for  shoulder  straps.  Usually  they  were 
made  of  raw-hide,  but  sometimes  they  used  a 


6          GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

withe  from  an  ash  tree.  So  the  answer  would 
be, ' '  Oh,  it  is  made  of  raw-hide, '  '  or, '  '  It  is  made 
of  a  withe."  The  sister  would  then  say,  "Let 
us  return  to  the  lodge. " 

So  try  as  hard  as  they  might  they  could  not 
see  the  hunter. 

At  last  the  little  scarred  girl's  two  sisters 
thought  that  they  would  try  their  luck.  They 
dressed  themselves  in  their  prettiest  clothes; 
they  made  long  braids  of  their  hair  and  wound 
them  with  strings  of  bright  little  shells;  and 
then  they  set  off  for  the  lodge  of  Team.  But 
they  fared  no  better  than  the  others,  although 
the  eldest  sister  said  that  she  could  see  Team. 

"Of  what  is  his  shoulder  strap  made!" 
Team's  sister  quickly  asked  her. 

"Of  raw-hide,"  she  answered. 

When  the  three  returned  to  the  lodge,  the  two 
girls  stayed  and  helped  prepare  the  evening 
meal,  for  they  thought,  "We  can  surely  see  him 
when  he  is  eating. ' ' 

But,  although  they  heard  the  sound  of  the 
game  dropped  to  the  ground  outside  the  door, 
and  although  they  could  see  his  moccasins  as 
soon  as  his  sister  touched  them,  they  could  not 
see  Team.  When  he  ate,  as  soon  as  he  touched 
the  food,  it  became  invisible. 

The  maidens  stayed  all  night  with  Team's 
sister,  and  then  in  the  morning  they  returned 
to  their  wigwam,  cross  and  disappointed,  to 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST    7 

vent  their  anger  upon  the  little  scarred  girl. 
They  found  that  their  father  had  reached  home 
while  they  were  away,  and  that  he  had  brought 
a  great  store  of  shells.  So  they  began  string 
ing  the  wampum. 

Oochigeaskw  knew  that  her  sisters  had  been 
to  Team's  lodge,  and  she  thought: 

"Perhaps  I  could  see  him.  Perhaps  I  could 
see  Team,  and  then  I  should  not  have  to  live 
here  with  my  cruel  sisters." 

Then  she  remembered  that  she  had  no  cloth 
ing — she  was  in  rags.  What  should  she  do! 
She  saw  a  birch  tree  in  its  beautiful  white  cov 
ering  and  she  said: 

"I'll  make  a  garment  of  that." 

So  she  made  herself  a  skirt  and  jacket  of  the 
birch  bark.  She  found  a  pair  of  old  moccasins 
her  father  had  thrown  away,  and  she  soaked 
them  in  water,  and  tried  to  make  them  fit  her 
feet.  But  they  were  so  large  that  they  reached 
to  her  knees. 

Then  Oochigeaskw  went  to  her  sisters,  busy 
with  the  bright  little  shells,  and  said: 

"Oh,  give  me  some  of  the  pretty  shells." 

But  they  sneered  at  her  and  sent  her  away. 
Again  and  again  she  went  to  them,  begging : 

"Do  give  me  some  of  the  pretty  little  shells! 
Do  give  me  some  of  the  pretty  little  shells." 

At  last  they  gave  her  a  few,  such  pretty  ones : 
yellow  and  blue  and  green  and  white! 


8          GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Oochigeaskw  trimmed  the  moccasins  and 
skirt  and  coat  with  the  shells,  and  then  she 
wound  strings  of  them  about  her  head.  She 
had  no  beautiful  braids  to  be  adorned  with 
them,  and  she  was  so  ashamed.  But  she 
started  out  bravely  in  search  of  Team,  the  won 
derful  hunter. 

When  her  sisters  saw  her  going  away  they 
cried : 

" Where  are  you  going!  Come  back,  you  lit 
tle  scarred  one ! ' ' 

But  Oochigeaskw  was  afraid  of  them  no 
longer. 

"I  will  not  go  back  to  you,  and  I  am  going  to 
the  lodge  of  Team,"  she  called  out. 

As  she  passed  through  the  village,  the  chil 
dren  threw  stones  at  her,  shouting: 

"Oochigeaskw,  Oochigeaskw!  Go  back!  Go 
back!1' 

Some  of  the  stones  struck  her  and  hurt  her, 
but  she  kept  on.  Even  the  men  and  women 
laughed  at  her,  pointing  at  her  and  calling : 

"Oochigeaskw!  Oh,  Oochigeaskw,  little 
scarred  one!  Go  back!  Go  back!" 

But,  at  last  Oochigeaskw  reached  the  lodge  of 
Team.  The  sister  greeted  her  kindly,  and  at 
sunset  the  two  went  down  to  the  shore.  Away 
in  the  distance  sounded  the  faint  dip,  dip  of 
a  paddle.  The  two  maidens  stood  with  their 
hands  shading  their  eyes,  looking  in  the  direc- 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST    9 

tion  from  which  the  sound  came.  At  last  the 
sister  said: 

"Do  you  see  my  brother $" 

Oochigeaskw  looked  eagerly  up  the  lake, 

"Yes!    I  see  him!"  she  said  at  length. 

"Of  what  is  his  shoulder  strap  made?"  the 
sister  asked. 

Oochigeaskw  looked  again  searchingly. 

"Why,  it  is  made  of  a  rainbow!"  she  cried. 

"Ah,  you  have  seen  my  brother!  Now  let 
us  hasten  to  the  lodge,  that  I  may  prepare  you 
to  meet  him  when  he  comes. ' r 

The  two  maidens  hurried  to  the  lodge,  and 
the  sister  opened  a  large  chest  full  of  the  most 
beautiful  clothing  Oochigeaskw  had  ever  seen. 
Then  the  sister  prepared  to  bathe  her;  and 
Oochigeaskw  hung  her  head  for  shame  because 
of  her  scars  and  burns.  But,  as  soon  as  the  wa 
ter  touched  her — such  a  wonderful  thing  hap 
pened!  The  scarred  and  burned  flesh  disap 
peared,  and  beautiful  fresh  skin  appeared  in  its 
place. 

Then  the  sister  began  arranging  her  hair. 
When  Oochigeaskw  thought  of  her  scorched, 
stubby  hair  she  felt  like  crying,  for  every  In 
dian  bride  prides  herself  upon  her  long  braids 
of  hair;  and  Oochigeaskw 's  hair  was  burned 
close  to  her  skin.  When  the  sister  began  to 
brush  it,  there  came  fine  beautiful,  glossy, 
black  hair  from  under  the  brush,  and  soon  the 


10        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

long  braids  were  bound  with,  the  strings  of 
bright  shells,  and  Oochigeaskw  was  arrayed  in 
her  wedding  garments.  Then  the  sister  placed 
her  in  the  wife's  place  next  to  the  door  and  the 
two  waited  for  the  coming  of  Team. 

At  last  they  heard  the  game  as  it  fell  to  the 
ground  outside  the  wigwam  door.  The  skins  at 
the  doorway  were  drawn  aside,  and  Team  stood 
there.  He  looked  at  Oochigeaskw  in  her  wed 
ding  garments,  waiting  for  him  in  the  wife's 
seat  —  and  he  smiled  down  at  her. 

"At  last  we  have  met,"  he  said  to  her. 

Oochigeaskw  looked  up  at  Team  and  an 
swered  : 


And  so  they  were  married.  And  Oochige 
askw  's  days  of  sorrow  and  loneliness  were 
brought  to  an  end. 

And  kespeadooksit  —  the  story  ends. 


THE  DESERTED  CHILDEEN 
PAKT  I 

IN  the  long,  long  ago,  when  Indians  were  as 
animals,  and  animals  were  as  men,  there 
was  a  great  famine  and  many  Indians  died. 

In  a  certain  wigwam  there  lived  Pulowech,  an 
Indian  brave,  with  his  wife  and  two  step-chil 
dren,  a  boy  and  a  girl. 

Every  day  Pulowech  went  into  the  forest,  in 
search  of  food  for  his  family.  He  could  find 
so  little  that  very  often  he  went  without  food 
himself  to  give  the  children  his  share.  And 
one  day  he  did  not  find  any  game— not  even  a 
single  rabbit.  What  to  do  he  did  not  know. 
At  last  he  thought: 

"I  will  give  them  the  flesh  of  my  own  body 
to  eat;  for  they  must  not  die." 

Pulowech  had  a  little  magical  power,  so  he 
took  some  of  his  own  flesh,  and  pow-wowed 
(transformed)  it  into  a  rabbit,  and  carried  it 
home.  The  children  and  the  mother  were 
happy  over  their  good  meal,  and  Pulowech  felt 
repaid  for  all  the  pain  he  had  suffered. 

In  a  few  days  Pulowech  did  this  again  to  give 
11 


12        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

his  family  food.  And  this  time  the  wife  sus 
pected  what  he  had  done.  When  he  was  asleep, 
she  looked  at  his  body  and  she  saw  the  wounds. 

"I  will  leave  him;  I  will  go  where  I  can  have 
plenty  of  food,  and  a  good  home,"  the  cruel- 
hearted  woman  said. 

So,  after  Pulowech  had  gone  into  the  forest, 
she  put  on  her  prettiest  clothes  and  wound 
strings  of  bright  shells  through  her  hair;  and 
then  she  made  her  eyes  look  red  and  sparkling. 
When  she  was  all  ready  to  go,  she  turned  to  her 
little  boy  and  girl  who  were  watching  her. 

"I  am  going  to  pull  up  the  door-post,  and  go 
down  the  road  under  it.  You  must  put  the  post 
back  in  its  place,  and  do  not  tell  anyone  where 
I  have  gone." 

Then  she  drew  out  the  door-post,  and  stepped 
down  into  the  hole,  and  disappeared  from  the 
sight  of  her  children,  whom  she  was  leaving 
without  a  word  of  farewell. 

She  travelled  a  long  way  through  the  earth, 
until,  at  last,  she  came  to  an  open  space,  and 
saw  in  the  distance  an  Indian  village.  She  hur 
ried  on,  and  soon  came  to  a  wigwam,  where  lived 
old  Mrs.  Bear.  She  went  in,  and  Mrs.  Bear 
said  to  her: 

; '  We  are  very  poor  here.  I  think  you  would 
better  go  over  to  the  chief 's  lodge.  His  son  is 
in  need  of  a  wife." 

Over  to  the  chief's  lodge  Mrs.  Pulowech  hur- 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        13 

ried;  and  they  were  so  much  pleased  with  her 
that  she  was  soon  married  to  the  chief's  son. 

The  deserted  children  waited  and  waited  for 
their  mother  to  come  back  to  them,  but  she  did 
not  return.  Then  it  grew  dark  and  the  poor 
father  came  home  tired,  hungry,  and  with  no 
food. 

" Where  is  your  mother,  my  children?"  he 
asked  them. 

"She  has  gone  away,  and  we  want  her  to 
come  back  to  us,"  they  said. 

' '  She  has  gone  away !  Well,  I  will  try  to  find 
her."  And  the  old  man,  although  so  tired  and 
faint  with  hunger,  went  out  into  the  dark  night 
in  search  of  the  mother.  All  night  long  he  was 
gone — and  all  the  next  day,  and  then  the  chil 
dren  said: 

"Our  father  is  dead.  Let  us  follow  our 
mother."  So  they  drew  up  the  doorpost  and 
followed  her.  They  went  on  and  on,  along  the 
dark  road,  stumbling  at  almost  every  step,  they 
were  so  weak  from  hunger;  but  at  last  they 
reached  the  wigwam  of  Mrs.  Bear. 

"Have  you  seen  a  strange  woman  with  red 
sparkling  eyes?"  they  asked  Mrs.  Bear. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Bear,  "she  came  here,  but 
now  she  is  married  to  the  chief's  son." 

"She  is  our  mother,"  they  said.  "But 
please  do  not  let  her  know  that  we  are  here." 


14        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Mrs.  Bear  promised  them  this,  and  then  the 
two  children  said: 

"When  we  see  her  we  will  pretend  that  we 
do  not  know  her." 

The  children  were  very  hungry,  but  Mrs. 
Bear  had  no  food  at  all  in  her  wigwam. 

"I  wish  I  had  some  food  for  you,"  she  said, 
"but  if  you  will  go  over  to  the  chief's  lodge, 
your  mother  will  surely  give  you  plenty  of 
meat." 

So  the  two  little  deserted  children  went  over 
to  the  chief's  lodge,  and  there  before  them  was 
their  mother,  looking  as  pretty  and  happy  as  if 
she  had  never  done  a  wrong  deed  in  her  life. 
They  sat  down  near  the  doorway,  waiting 
quietly  to  be  spoken  to. 

"Little  strangers,  are  you  hungry?"  she 
asked.  They  looked  up  at  her  and  answered: 

"We  have  great  hunger.  Will  you  give  us 
food?" 

Their  mother  took  some  strings  of  dried  meat 
and  wrapped  them  about  the  children's  should 
ers. 

* '  There  is  meat  for  you ;  but  you  must  go  to 
another  wigwam  to  cook  it,"  she  said. 

The  children  hastened  back  to  the  wigwam 
of  Mrs.  Bear.  Mrs.  Bear  cooked  their  food, 
and  all  feasted  upon  it. 

Now  every  day  the  mother  gave  the  children 
food,  and  Mrs.  Bear  allowed  them  to  live  with 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        15 

her  and  little  Marten,  her  grandchild ;  and  so  all 
went  well  for  a  time.  But  before  long  poor  old 
Pulowech  came  to  the  village  in  search  of  his 
wife.  He,  as  the  others  had  done,  entered  the 
lodge  of  Mrs.  Bear,  because  it  was  the  Indian 
custom  for  a  stranger  to  enter  the  first  lodge  he 
came  to.  The  children  were  glad  to  see  him, 
and  gave  him  food,  and  told  him  about  their 
mother. 

The  mother  soon  learned  that  an  old  man 
was  with  the  strange  children  at  Mrs.  Bear's 
lodge.  She  knew  at  once  that  he  was  her  hus 
band,  Pulowech.  She  went  to  the  chief,  pre 
tending  to  be  very  much  afraid. 

"This  strange  old  man  who  has  just  come 
here  is  an  evil  magician/'  she  said.  "If  you 
allow  him  to  remain  here,  he  will  bring  a  great 
pestilence  upon  us  all.  You  must  have  him 
killed,  and  make  a  door  blanket  of  his  hide." 

The  chief  and  all  the  others  believed  her, 
and  were  afraid  of  this  evil  magician,  too.  So 
they  hastened  to  do  as  she  had  told  them;  and 
soon  they  had  made  a  door  blanket  of  poor  old 
Pulowech 's  hide. 

Now  that  she  had  rid  herself  of  her  former 
husband  she  had  next  to  do  away  with  the  chil 
dren.  So  presently  she  said  to  the  chief: 

"My  father,  those  two  children  who  are  at 
Mrs.  Bear's  lodge  are  bringing  sickness  and 
famine  to  the  town.  Just  such  a  thing  hap- 


16        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

pened  in  the  village  I  came  from.  Two  chil 
dren  came  there  and  people  cared  for  them; 
but  they  were  Boooins  who  took  the  form  of 
children,  and  they  brought  sickness  and  famine 
upon  us  all." 

4  *  What  shall  we  do?"  the  chief  asked  her. 

"We  must  leave  this  place,  every  one  of  us, 
and  make  an  encampment  far  away  from  here. 
The  two  children  must  be  tied  together  by  their 
heels,  back  to  back,  and  left  hanging  from  a 
tree." 

Again  the  Indians  did  as  the  wicked  woman 
directed.  They  gathered  together  all  their 
possessions  and  hastened  away  from  the  vil 
lage,  while  one  Indian  waited  behind  to  bend 
over  a  sapling  and  hang  the  terrified  little 
children  upon  it. 

But  the  children  were  not  left  long  in  that  hor 
rible  plight,  for  old  Mrs.  Bear  and  Marten  had 
waited  behind,  too.  They  placed  fire  against 
the  tree,  and  soon  burned  it  down.  Then  little 
Marten  picked  the  knots  that  bound  the  child 
ren,  with  his  teeth,  until  at  last  they  were  free. 

"Now  we  must  hurry  away  after  the  others, 
before  they  miss  us,"  Mrs.  Bear  said,  "but 
stay  in  my  wigwam  and  you  will  be  able  to 
find  enough  game  to  live  upon.  You  will  not 
starve." 

The  little  girl  cried.  Her  mother  had  tried 
to  kill  her,  and  now  she  must  stay  all  alone 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        17 

with  her  brother  in  this  empty  village!  But 
the  boy  said  to  old  Mrs.  Bear: 

"Do  not  forget  us.  Pity  us  poor  creatures, 
and  when  the  heavy  snows  of  winter  fall,  sweep 
them  away  from  your  door,  and  in  this  way  we 
shall  be  protected. " 

And  Mrs.  Bear  said  to  him : 

"Usitabvlajoo,  I  name  you,  because  you  have 
been  hung  by  the  heels;  I  shall  never  forget 
you  helpless  children.  I  will  always  sweep  the 
snow  from  my  door  for  your  sake.'7 

Then  she  and  Marten  hastened  after  the 
other  Indians. 

Usitabulajoo  and  his  sister  began  their 
search  for  food.  At  first  all  they  could  obtain 
was  mice.  These  they  ate,  keeping  the  hides 
for  clothing;  and  when  they  had  saved  enough, 
the  sister  made  Usitabulajoo  a  warm  garment 
of  the  skins. 

One  day  Usitabulajoo  wished  that  they  might 
have  larger  game,  so  the  two  children  stayed 
in  the  wigwam  and  asked  the  Great  Spirit  to 
send  them  rabbits.  Soon  many  rabbits  ran 
from  the  forest  and  flocked  to  the  door,  and 
from  that  time  the  children  had  all  the  meat 
and  clothing  they  could  use. 

As  time  went  on,  they  did  not  forget  old  Mrs. 
Bear,  whom  Usitabulajoo  knew  was  without 
food.  He  wrapped  strips  of  dried  meat  tightly 
about  an  arrow  and  shot  it  through  the  air  in 


18        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

the  direction  the  Indians  had  gone,  willing  the 
arrow  to  fall  at  the  door  of  Mrs.  Bear's  wig 
wam.  It  fell  as  he  had  willed;  and  every  day 
Mrs.  Bear  received  an  arrow,  bearing  food,  sent 
by  Usitabulajoo. 

.Usitabulajoo  now  wished  that  he  and  his  sis 
ter  might  be  grown  up  at  once,  they  were  such 
little  children  to  be  in  this  deserted  place  all 
alone.  So  he  prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit  to 
make  them  into  a  man  and  woman  at  once. 
That  night  he  carried  two  logs,  as  large  as  a 
man,  into  the  wigwam,  and  stood  one  at  his 
head  and  the  other  at  his  feet,  and  then  he  said 
to  his  sister: 

"Numees,  little  sister,  in  the  morning  when 
I  call  you,  do  not  arise,  or  even  open  your  eyes. 
When  you  hear  me  say,  *  The  fire  is  all  out, '  do 
not  move;  but  after  a  long  while  get  up." 

The  sister  did  exactly  as  Usitabulajoo  di 
rected  her,  and  when  she  opened  her  eyes  she 
saw  before  her  a  grown  man — Usitabulajoo  had 
been  transformed  into  a  man  by  the  Great 
Spirit! 

The  next  night  Usitabulajoo  stood  the  logs 
at  the  head  and  feet  of  his  sister.  In  the  morn 
ing  she  awoke  to  find  herself  grown  into  a 
young  woman. 

Usitabulajoo  then  made  larger  weapons —ax- 
row  heads  of  flint — and  went  into  the  forest 
hunting.  One  evening  he  said: 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        19 

"Numees — little  sister — to-morrow,  early  in 
the  morning,  I  shall  go  hunting;  and  I  shall  re 
turn  at  mid-day.  When  you  hear  me  call 
'Numees,  come  out  and  help  me!'  do  not  come 
but  wait  until  you  have  heard  me  call  three 
times.  Then  you  may  come  out." 

The  sister  waited  within  the  wigwam  all  the 
morning,  and  at  mid-day  she  heard  a  great 
noise  and  trampling  outside.  Then  she  heard 
her  brother  call : 

"Numees,  my  sister,  come  out  and  help  me." 
She  waited  as  he  had  directed  until  the  third 
call  came,  then  she  ran  out.  There  before  the 
wigwam  was  a  herd  of  moose  and  caribou ! 

Soon  Usitabulajoo  had  all  the  hides  stretched 
and  drying,  and  the  sister  had  cut  the  meat  into 
thin  strips  to  dry.  Some  of  it  they  sent  on  ar 
rows  to  Mrs.  Bear,  who  knew  then  that  the  chil 
dren  were  prospering. 

Besides  the  hides  and  the  dried  meat,  there 
was  a  great  store  of  tallow,  which  the  sister 
made  into  cakes;  and  she  became  very  fond 
of  rubbing  this  tallow  on  her  hair,  so  that 
sometimes  her  hair  looked  like  a  white  blanket 
over  her  shoulders.  One  day,  when  Usita 
bulajoo  was  in  the  forest  hunting,  she  wan 
dered  down  by  the  side  of  the  lake.  As  she 
sat  there  a  great  white  bear  came  quietly 
out  of  the  bushes  and  stood  close  beside  her. 
She  knew  that  this  bear  was  an  Indian  who  pre- 


20        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ferred  to  appear  to  her  in  this  form.  She  sat 
down  with  him,  coming  more  and  more  under 
his  enchantment;  for  he  was  not  an  ordinary 
Indian,  but  a  wicked  magician,  and  he  had 
placed  the  maiden  under  his  evil  spell.  Before 
she  returned  to  the  wigwam  the  Bear  had  eaten 
all  of  the  tallow  from  her  hair. 

Day  after  day,  now,  she  would  make  her  hair 
white  with  the  tallow,  and  would  go  to  the  lake 
to  meet  the  white  bear — her  lover— who  would 
always  eat  the  tallow. 

Soon  Usitabulajoo  noticed  that  the  tallow 
was  disappearing  fast,  and  asked  his  sister 
about  it. 

"Oh,  I  like  to  eat  it,"  she  said.  And  all  the 
time  she  was  hoping  that  her  lover  would  take 
his  own  form  again,  and  come  to  their  wigwam 
so  that  they  could  be  married. 

One  day  Usitabulajoo  climbed  a  high  hill  that 
overlooked  the  lake  near  his  lodge.  To  his  sur 
prise  he  saw  his  sister — her  hair  white  with 
tallow — come  out  of  the  wigwam.  He  watched 
her,  and  he  saw  her  take  her  seat  by  the  lake. 
Soon  the  great  white  bear,  Mooinwopskw,  came 
out  of  the  woods  and  went  to  her.  Usitabula 
joo  saw  him  eat  the  tallow,  and  after  a  while  go 
back  into  the  forest.  That  night  he  asked  his 
sister  about  the  bear. 

t '  Oh,  I  am  obliged  to  do  this ;  we  should  both 
be  killed  if  I  did  not,"  she  said.  The  next 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       21 

day  Usitabulajoo  went  to  the  lake  with  his  sis 
ter. 

"Sit  there,"  he  told  her,  placing  her  upon  a 
rock  in  such  a  way  that  he  could  shoot  the  white 
bear  without  harming  her.  Then  he  hid  near 

by. 

Very  soon  they  heard  the  bushes  parting, 
and  in  an  instant  more  the  great  white  bear 
stood  before  the  Indian  maiden.  He  began  at 
once  eating  the  tallow,  and  Usitabulajoo  shot 
a  flint-headed  arrow  at  him.  The  bear,  taken 
unawares,  could  not  summon  his  magical  powers 
to  his  aid.  He  could  not  move.  The  first  ar 
row  struck  him,  but  did  not  kill  him.  Then 
Usitabulajoo  shot  again  and  again  until  he  had 
struck  him  with  six  arrows.  Then  the  monster 
fell  over  dead. 

They  soon  had  the  hide  of  the  bear  made  into 
a  beautiful  white  rug,  and  the  meat  dried  in  thin 
slices. 

All  this  time  the  Indians  were  settled  in  their 
new  encampment.  They  had  made  a  three 
days'  journey,  and  at  length  had  reached  a 
pleasant  spot  in  a  great  forest  by  the  ocean. 
They  encamped  there  because  the  place  was  be 
side  the  water,  where  they  could  fish,  and  in  the 
great  forest,  where  they  could  hunt.  But  they 
could  never  catch  any  fish  or  game,  because 
the  Great  Spirit  was  angry  with  them  for  their 


22        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

wickedness  to  the  old  man  and  the  two  little 
children.  All  they  had  to  eat  was  the  food 
they  had  brought  with  them,  and  starvation 
seemed  near.  Mrs.  Bear  and  Marten  were  well 
provided  with  food  every  day  by  the  magical 
arrow  sent  to  them  by  Usitabulajoo,  but  no  one 
knew  about  this.  Mrs.  Bear  was  very  careful 
to  hide  all  traces  of  food  in  her  wigwam. 

One  day,  Mrs.  Crow  remembered  the  two 
children  they  had  left  hanging  by  their  heels 
on  the  tree.  She  thought  that  they  would  make 
a  good  meal.  She  stole  away  from  the  village 
and  flew  back  to  the  deserted  place.  What  was 
her  surprise,  instead  of  finding  two  dead  little 
creatures  hanging  from  the  tree-top,  to  see  a 
full-grown  man  and  woman  in  a  well-kept  lodge, 
with  plentiful  supplies  of  meat,  flaked  and  dry 
ing.  Mrs.  Crow  did  not  stop  to  ask  any  ques 
tions,  but  at  once  began  eating  at  the  meat. 

The  brother  and  sister  gave  her  all  she  could 
eat,  and  placed  strings  of  dried  meat  about  her 
shoulders  to  carry  home. 

"But  see  that  you  tell  no  one,"  they  said. 
"On  your  way  home  pick  mushrooms  and  have 
them  about  your  wigwam.  If  anyone  comes  in 
and  finds  your  children  eating,  say  that  they  are 
eating  mushrooms. " 

Mrs.  Crow  did  as  she  had  been  told;  and 
whenever  she  needed  food  she  flew  back  to 
Usitabulajoo  and  was  supplied  with  more. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST   23 

But  one  day,  she  neglected  to  gather  mush 
rooms,  and  some  Indians  entered  the  wigwam. 
There  was  the  meat  in  plain  sight! 

"Why  did  you  not  give  us  some  of  this  food, 
when  we  are  starving  ?"  they  demanded. 

"Cah,  call,  cah!"  cried  Mrs.  Crow.  "The 
children  whom  you  tried  to  murder  are  well 
and  grown  up.  They  have  their  lodge  full  of 
dried  meat,  while  you  starve. " 

"Let  us  all  go  hack  to  them,"  the  Indian  said. 

So  that  very  day  they  all  turned  back  to  the 
deserted  village.  When  they  reached  the  place, 
they  found  everything  just  as  Mrs.  Crow  had 
said. 

Mrs.  Bear  and  little  Marten  were  welcomed 
home  to  their  own  lodge,  where  they  were  given 
all  the  choice  moose  and  caribou  meat  that  they 
could  eat.  Their  wicked  mother  came  too. 

"Are  you  not  glad  to  see  me,  my  children? 
Will  you  not  welcome  the  mother  who  fed  you 
and  cared  for  you  when  you  were  babies?"  she 
asked. 

But  Usitabulajoo  said  to  her: 

"You  deserted  us  for  the  others,  and  left  us 
alone  to  die;  now,  go  back  to  them  and  share 
with  them  what  they  receive." 

Then  others  came  to  the  wigwam. 

"Give  us  food,  Usitabulajoo,"  they  begged, 
"for  we  are  starving." 

Usitabulajoo  gave  them  dried  meat — the  meat 


24        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

of  the  white  bear  magician;  and  because  the 
magician  had  been  an  evil  man,  the  poison  of 
his  nature  had  entered  into  the  meat. 

The  starving  Indians  gorged  themselves  with 
the  bear's  meat,  and  then  lay  down  to  sleep. 
And  while  they  slept,  they  all  died  of  the  poi 
soned  meat.  The  wicked  mother  died  with 
them;  she  was  punished  for  her  wickedness. 

Usitabulajoo  and  his  sister  gave  the  wigwam 
with  the  great  stores  of  dried  meat  and  furs, 
to  Mrs.  Bear  and  Marten,  and  left  the  place 
forever. 


THE  DESERTED  CHILDREN 
PART  II 

AFTER  Usitabulajoo  and  his  sister  had  left 
their  old  home  they  travelled  until  they 
came  to  a  great  forest  beside  the  ocean.  Here 
they  built  a  large  lodge,  and  thought  they 
would  be  very  happy.  Usitabulajoo  would  go 
into  the  forest  and  drive  herds  of  moose  and 
caribou  into  an  enclosure  near  the  wigwam, 
where  he  prepared  them  for  his  sister  to  make 
into  flakes  of  meat.  All  went  well  for  a  time 
but  enemies  were  near,  all  unknown  to  the 
brother  and  sister. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  forest  was  a  large 
Indian  village.  The  young  braves  of  the  vil 
lage  soon  discovered  that  the  wild  animals  were 
being  lured  away  by  someone  with  magical 
power,  who  must  be  captured,  or  there  would 
be  a  famine  in  their  village.  So  they  started 
out  in  search  of  the  strange  hunter;  and  soon 
they  came  upon  the  lonely  lodge  of  Usitabula 
joo.  They  entered  the  wigwam,  planning  to 
kill  him;  but  Usitabulajoo  received  them  so 
kindly  and  entertained  them  so  royally,  that 

25 


26        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

they  felt  their  weakness  beside  his  strength,  and 
left  without  trying  to  do  him  any  harm. 

But  their  moose  and  caribou  still  continued 
to  be  lured  away,  and  soon  they  called  a  council 
to  decide  what  should  be  done.  At  the  council 
there  was  an  old  man  who  was  himself  pos 
sessed  of  a  little  magical  power. 

"You  cannot  kill  this  Indian  brave, "  he  said, 
"for  he  has  magical  power.  He  is  a  Boooin. 
All  you  can  do  is  to  pit  magic  against  magic. 
But  follow  closely  my  instructions  and  you  will 
soon  have  him  in  your  power.  First,  secure  a 
dragon's  horn;  it  has  magical  power.  If  you 
can  succeed  in  placing  this  in  his  hair,  it 
will  fasten  itself  so  securely  that  it  cannot  be 
taken  out ;  and  at  once  it  will  grow  up  and  graft 
itself  upon  a  tree.  In  this  way  your  enemy 
will  be  made  fast.  So  let  each  one  of  you  take 
a  horn  for  himself;  then  while  you  are  eating, 
take  them  out  and  put  them  on— after  that,  of 
fer  the  Boooin  the  magical  horn.  If  he  does 
not  suspect  you,  he  will  at  once  put  it  on — 
and  then  you  will  never  more  be  disturbed  by 
him." 

Soon  after  this,  six  young  Indian  braves 
started  out  for  the  lodge  of  Usitabulajoo,  with 
the  horns  concealed  under  their  garments. 
Usitabulajoo  and  his  sister  made  a  feast  for 
them ;  and  while  they  were  eating,  they  did  as 
the  old  man  had  told  them.  They  took  out  their 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       27 

horns  and  carefully  placed  them  in  their  hair. 
Usitabulajoo  watched  them  with  interest,  and 
when  they  offered  him  one  to  put  on,  he  was 
eager  to  take  it. 

But  his  sister  had  taken  alarm. 

"Do  not  touch  the  horn;  it  will  be  your 
death,''  she  whispered. 

But  Usitabulajoo  was  suddenly  possessed 
with  the  desire  to  do  as  the  others  did,  so  he 
whispered  back,  "Numees,  my  sister,  I  cannot 
help  it.  What  my  comrades  do,  I  shall  cer 
tainly  do." 

He  took  the  horn  and  fastened  it  in  his  hair 
as  the  others  had  done.  Suddenly  he  felt  him 
self  fastened  to  it.  He  tried  to  take  it  from  his 
hair ;  but  it  could  not  be  moved.  Then  he  saw 
that  it  had  pierced  through  the  top  of  the  wig 
wam  and  had  wound  itself  about  a  tree  outside. 
[Usitabulajoo  was  a  prisoner. 

The  braves  went  away  exultingly,  leaving  the 
sister  trying  to  free  her  brother.  The  horn 
was  so  hard  that  she  could  not  make  a  scratch 
upon  it.  But,  at  last,  she  discovered  that  a 
clam  shell  would  mark  it;  so  her  days  were 
spent  in  digging  clams  and  working  hour  after 
hour,  sawing  at  the  horn  with  the  shells. 

There  came  a  day  when  the  sister  found  that 
she  had  dug  all  the  clams  near  the  shore.  She 
waited  until  low  tide,  and  then  she  went  sadly 
to  the  water.  She  dug  her  basket  full  of  clams 


28        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

and  then  sat  down  near  the  shore  to  rest.  Soon 
she  was  fast  asleep. 

Out  in  the  deep  water  Bootup,  a  great  whale, 
had  been  watching  her,  and  he  became  so  in 
terested  in  her  that  he  wanted  her  for  his  wife. 
"When  he  saw  her  asleep  he  swam  to  the  shore, 
and  gently  placed  her  on  his  back,  and  set  out 
for  his  home — a  large  island  in  the  middle  of 
the  ocean. 

When  the  sister  awoke  she  found  herself  be 
ing  carried  across  the  sea.  She  thought  of  her 
brother,  a  prisoner  in  his  wigwam,  but  she  could 
not  help  him  now;  she  was  a  prisoner  herself. 

By  and  by  the  whale  reached  the  island,  and 
as  soon  as  he  touched  the  shore  he  was  changed 
into  a  man.  He  took  the  maiden  to  his  lodge, 
where  his  father  and  mother  and  sister  lived. 
They  were  kind  to  her,  and  soon  she  consented 
to  remain  there  as  Bootup 's  wife,  and  she  was 
called  Bootupskw  (Mrs.  Bootup). 

Now  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  thought  of  her 
brother  waiting  for  her  to  free  him,  she  would 
have  been  happy;  for  as  time  passed  she  had  a 
baby  boy  to  care  for.  But  whenever  she  was 
alone  she  sorrowed  for  Usitabulajoo. 

One  day  Bootupskw 's  sister-in-law  found  her 
weeping. 

"Why  are  you  mourning  so  when  you  are 
alone?"  she  asked. 

"It  is  for  my  brother  I  sorrow,"  Bootupskw 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       29 

answered.  And  then  she  told  the  sister-in-law 
all  that  had  happened.  When  she  had  finished, 
Bootup 's  sister  said: 

"I  will  help  you  rescue  your  brother.  There 
is  but  one  thing  that  will  break  the  dragon's 
horn.  That  is  red  ochre.  Teach  the  baby  to 
cry  for  red  ochre,  and  his  father  will  get  it  for 
him  to  quiet  him.  So  Bootupskw  taught  the 
baby  to  cry: 

"Weukujuhl  Weukujuh!  Bed  ochre,  red 
ochre." 

That  night,  when  Bootup  came  home,  the  baby 
kept  crying : 

"Weukujuh!  Weukujuh!" 

"What  can  he  want  of  red  ochre?"  the  father 
asked.  But  as  the  baby  continued  crying 
"Weukujuh,"  Bootup  at  length  said: 

"Baby,  baby,  only  stop  the  cry  and  I  will  get 
it  for  you  to-morrow. ' '  Then  the  baby  stopped 
crying,  and  the  next  day  Bootup  went  to  the 
shore.  Soon  he  was  a  whale,  rushing  through 
the  waters  in  search  of  red  ochre. 

After  a  few  days  Bootup 's  sister  said: 

"Now  we  must  teach  baby  to  cry  for  the 
crimson  cloud  in  the  sunset.  This  is  so  far 
away  that  while  Bootup  has  gone  to  get  it,  we 
can  make  our  escape  to  your  brother." 

So  one  night,  when  Bootup  came  home,  the 
baby  met  him  with  a  cry  for  the  crimson  cloud 
in  the  sunset. 


30        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"But  that  is  a  far  journey,  my  child,"  Bootup 
said.  "I  must  start  early  in  the  morning  for 
that." 

Early  the  next  morning,  Bootup,  suspecting 
nothing,  started  upon  his  long  journey,  in 
search  of  the  crimson  cloud  in  the  west  at  sun 
set.  When  he  was  far  away,  the  women  took  the 
baby  and  hurried  to  the  canoe.  All  day  long 
they  worked  at  the  paddles,  keeping  watch  of 
the  sun.  They  knew  that  Bootup  would  return 
soon  after  sunset,  and  would  pursue  them  when 
he  discovered  that  they  were  gone.  As  the  af 
ternoon  drew  to  a  close,  the  women  strained  at 
the  paddles  to  make  the  canoe  go  faster.  They 
were  so  tired,  sometimes  it  seemed  that  they 
could  go  no  further.  At  last,  however,  they 
came  in  sight  of  Usitabulajoo  's  lodge.  But  at 
the  same  time,  away  off  in  the  distance  they 
spied  Bootup  pursuing  them.  Then  he  disap 
peared  under  the  water,  and  when  he  came  to  the 
surface  again  for  air  he  was  much  nearer  them. 
What  should  they  do?  Ah!  there  were  the 
baby's  toys.  They  would  throw  them  out  upon 
the  water.  Bootupskw  scattered  the  toys  about, 
and  the  canoe  pushed  on. 

When  Bootup  reached  his  baby's  toys,  he 
swam  around  and  around  them,  uttering  loud 
crys.  Then  down  into  the  water  he  sank  in 
pursuit  of  the  runaways. 

Then  Bootupskw  threw  out  the  baby's  cradle 


iWONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       31 

and  his  moccasins;  when  Bootup  came  upon 
these  he  swam  about  them,  staying  longer  here 
than  he  did  with  the  toys. 

Now  they  had  almost  reached  the  shore, 
when  Bootup  arose  to  the  surface  close  upon 
them.  Bootupskw  tore  off  the  baby's  clothing, 
and  threw  the  little  pieces  out  on  the  water,  and 
as  the  father  paused  by  these,  the  women 
landed  and  pushed  the  canoe  off  in  the  water. 

Bootup  rushed  on,  but  he  was  too  late.  He 
did  not  have  the  power  to  pursue  them  on  this 
strange  shore.  He  came  close  to  the  land,  and 
called  out  to  his  wife: 

'  '  Give  me  back  the  child !  Only  give  me  back 
the  child!" 

But  the  women  hurried  away,  and  Bootup, 
in  his  rage,  seized  the  canoe,  and  crushed  it  be 
tween  his  jaws. 

Bootupskw  now  set  to  work  and  quickly  built 
a  shelter  for  the  baby  and  her  sister-in-law, 
and  when  she  had  finished  it,  she  said: 

"I  will  go  to  my  brother  alone.  You  wait 
here  with  the  baby."  She  ran  to  the  wigwam, 
where  she  found  Usitabulajoo  still  living,  for 
he  was  within  reach  of  the  dried  meats. 

As  soon  as  Bootupskw  had  made  a  circle  of 
red  ochre  about  the  dragon's  horn,  it  snapped, 
and  at  last  Usitabulajoo  was  free,  but  he  was 
almost  too  weak  to  stand.  But  after  Boot 
upskw  had  bathed  him  and  dressed  him,  he  was 


32        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

able  to  walk ;  and  soon  he  could  go  to  the  wig 
wam  his  sister  had  built.  When  he  entered 
the  lodge  and  saw  Bootup's  sister,  he  said  to 
her: 

"You  have  saved  my  life." 

Now  they  all  lived  happily  together,  and  at 
length  Usitabulajoo  asked  the  sister  to  stay 
and  be  his  wife. 

"I  will  be  your  wife,  even  if  it  be  for  thirty 
years,"  she  replied,  "if  you  will  keep  far  from 
the  salt  water.  But  if  you  ever  encamp  near 
the  sea,  then  I  am  free  from  my  vow,  and  I 
will  return  to  my  own  land." 

Usitabulajoo  was  quite  ready  to  make  this 
promise,  and  they  moved  away  to  a  strange 
country  far  from  the  ocean.  There  a  baby  boy 
came  to  them,  and  the  two  boys  grew  up  to 
gether  very  happily. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  Usitabulajoo 
moved  his  lodge;  and  on  their  journey  a  great 
storm  came  upon  them,  and  they  lost  their  way 
in  the  darkness.  Usitabulajoo  built  a  shelter 
where  they  could  rest  for  the  night,  and  wait 
for  the  storm  to  pass  over. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  wife  awoke  and 
thought  she  would  go  out  and  see  what  the 
country  about  was  like.  As  she  stood  in  the 
doorway  of  the  wigwam  she  saw  stretching  be 
fore  her  the  great  blue  ocean! 

At  once  her  love  for  the  sea  took  possession 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       33 

of  her.  She  must  go  back  to  her  old  home. 
Without  waking  the  others,  she  took  the  two 
boys,  still  sleeping,  and  ran  with  them  down  to 
the  shore,  and  plunged  into  the  water. 

Soon  Usitabulajoo  awoke,  and  when  he  found 
that  his  wife  and  the  two  children  were  gone, 
he  called  his  sister,  and  together  they  ran  to 
the  shore.  There  they  saw  the  wife  and  the 
two  children  sporting  like  whales  far  out  in  the 
water. 

1 1  You  have  broken  your  vow  to  me,  Usitabula 
joo,"  she  called,  "so  I  am  freed  from  my  prom 
ise.  I  return  to  my  own  land."  Then  they 
saw  Bootup  come  speeding  toward  them  from 
far  away  and  carry  the  three  runaways  across 
the  ocean. 

'Usitabulajoo  and  Bootupskw  watched  them, 
until  at  last  they  seemed  like  a  mere  speck  in 
the  water — and  until  that,  too,  was  lost  in  the 
distance.  Day  after  day  the  brother  and  sis 
ter  lingered  by  the  shore,  looking  across  the 
sea  for  a  glimpse  of  their  loved  ones.  But 
they  never  saw  them  again. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  BEAUTIFUL  BRIDE 

IN  the  ancient  times  there  lived  in  the  forest 
an  old  Indian  and  his  wife,  with  their  only 
son.  One  day,  in  the  winter,  the  son  was  out 
hunting,  and  he  shot  a  crow  with  his  arrow. 
The  snow  was  stained  and  reddened  with  the 
blood,  and  as  the  young  man  stood  looking  at 
the  bright  colours  he  thought: 

"  Would  that  I  could  find  a  maiden,  whose 
hair  is  as  black  and  glossy  as  this  crow's  wing; 
whose  skin  is  as  white  as  the  pure  snow,  and 
whose  cheeks  are  as  crimson  as  the  blood  that 
stains  the  snow !  I  would  marry  such. a  maiden, 
could  I  find  one." 

When  he  reached  home,  he  told  his  mother 
all  that  had  been  passing  through  his  mind. 

"I  know  that  there  is  such  a  maiden, "  said 
the  mother,  "but  her  home  is  very  far  away; 
it  is  too  far  for  a  winter's  travel,  but  when 
summer  comes  you  may  seek  her  for  your  wife." 

The  son  resolved  to  do  this,  as  soon  as  the 
winter  should  have  passed;  but  he  became  so 
busy  with  his  hunting,  and  with  affairs  at  home, 
that  when  winter  was  over  he  had  forgotten 
about  his  wish  for  a  beautiful  bride. 

34 


[WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       35 

One  day  in  the  summer  he  was  in  the  forest 
hunting  for  game,  when  he  met  a  well-dressed 
man,  who  spoke  to  him  kindly,  and  asked  him 
what  he  was  doing. 

"I  am  hunting  for  venison, "  the  young  man 
answered. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  stranger,  "but  what 
has  become  of  the  plan  you  thought  of  so  much 
in  the  winter  f" 

At  first  the  young  man  was  puzzled  to  know 
what  the  stranger  could  mean,  but  at  last  he 
remembered  the  dead  crow,  and  the  wish  that 
had  passed  through  his  mind.  He  told  the 
stranger  what  his  mother  had  said. 

"I  know  very  well  where  the  beautiful 
maiden  lives, "  said  the  stranger,  "and  I  can 
help  you  find  her  and  win  her."  The  stranger 
had  supernatural  power.  He  was  a  Megumoo- 
wesoo.  The  young  man  did  not  know  this,  but 
he  was  glad  to  have  a  friend  who  would  help 
him  in  his  adventure.  So  he  went  back  to  the 
wigwam  and  told  his  parents  what  had  hap 
pened,  and  prepared  for  the  journey. 

When  everything  was  ready,  the  two  men 
started  off  together.  They  travelled  several 
days,  until  they  reached  the  shore  of  a  large 
lake.  On  the  shore  was  a  wigwam.  When 
they  went  in  they  found  an  old  man  who  re 
ceived  them  kindly,  and  wished  to  know  where 
they  were  going. 


36        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Now  this  old  man  was  the  Great  Chief, 
Glooscap  himself.  But  this,  the  young  man  did 
not  know.  Glooscap  seemed  interested  in  their 
adventure,  and  told  them  how  they  would  bet 
ter  go. 

"You  must  cross  the  lake,  and  start  on  your 
journey  through  the  forest  on  the  other  shore," 
he  said. 

They  had  no  canoe,  so  Glooscap  offered  to 
loan  them  his.  He  went  down  to  the  shore 
with  them,  and  told  them  to  step  upon  a  small 
island  covered  with  trees  and  rocks. 

"This  is  my  canoe,"  he  said. 

The  two  travellers  stepped  from  the  shore, 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  on  the  island,  it  moved 
off  by  magic  and  glided  over  the  smooth  sur 
face  of  the  lake  without  sail,  or  oar,  or  rudder, 
and  took  them  straight  to  the  other  shore. 
They  landed  and  moored  their  boat,  and  started 
on  their  long  journey  through  the  forest. 
They  had  not  gone  far,  when  they  came  upon 
a  great  strong  man  who  was  chopping  logs. 
Seeing  no  way  of  carrying  the  logs  to  the  shore 
they  asked  the  man  how  he  managed. 

"I  take  them  upon  my  back,"  he  said.  "But 
where  are  you  going!"  he  asked.  When  they 
told  him,  the  Log  Carrier  said: 

"I  should  like  to  go  along  with  you,  too." 

They  were  pleased  to  have  his  company,  so 
the  three  journeyed  on  together.  Soon  they 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       37 

met  another  man.  He  was  hopping  along  on  one 
foot,  with  the  other  tied  close  up  to  his  body. 

"Why  is  your  leg  tied  in  such  a  fashion?" 
asked  the  Megumoowesoo. 

"To  keep  from  running  too  fast,"  he  replied. 
"Why,  if  I  were  to  untie  my  leg,  I  should  go 
so  fast  that  I  should  run  around  the  whole 
world  in  just  four  minutes." 

"Let  us  see  you  run,"  the  travellers  said. 
So  the  Swift  Eunner  untied  his  leg  and  was  off 
like  a  flash.  True  enough,  at  the  end  of  four 
minutes  back  he  came  from  the  other  direction. 

The  Swift  Eunner  then  asked: 

"Where  are  all  of  you  going?"  And  when 
they  told  him  he  asked  whether  he  might  not 
go  along  with  them. 

"Yes,  we  shall  be  glad  to  have  you,"  the 
Megumoowesoo  said.  "You  may  be  of  great 
help  to  our  young  friend."  So  all  four  travel 
led  on  together. 

When  they  had  gone  a  little  way  further, 
they  came  upon  a  man,  whose  nostrils  were 
closely  covered. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  the  trav 
ellers  asked: 

"I  am  so  powerful,"  he  said,  "that  if  my 
nostrils  were  not  covered,  I  could  not  hold  back 
the  storm  and  the  whirlwind." 

"Let  us  see  your  power,"  they  said.  The 
stranger  uncovered  his  nostrils,  and  at  once 


38        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

the  great  winds  rushed  out, — tearing  up  the 
earth — turning  over  great  rocks,  and  crushing 
the  trees  that  stood  in  their  path! 

This  man  also  asked  where  the  travellers 
were  going,  and  when  he  heard  about  their  ad 
venture,  he  wished  to  go  along  with  them. 

"I  may  be  of  some  help  to  you,"  he  said. 
The  men  were  glad  to  have  his  company,  so 
the  five  Indians  went  on  together. 

At  last  they  came  to  a  wide,  beautiful  river, 
winding  through  a  valley  near  a  high  mountain. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  a  great  bluff, 
and  between  the  bluff  and  the  river  they  found 
a  large  Indian  town.  Here  the  Beautiful 
Maiden  they  were  seeking  lived;  but  it  was  a 
difficult,  dangerous  task  to  win  her,  they  were 
told;  many  suitors  had  already  lost  their  lives 
in  the  games  and  contests  they  must  enter. 

After  several  days  of  feasting,  the  chief  set 
a  time  for  the  contests  to  begin.  The  winner 
should  have  the  Beautiful  Maiden  for  his  wife. 
First,  the  suitors  must  dance. 

The  Megumoowesoo  entered  the  lists  for  his 
friend,  and  because  of  his  supernatural  power, 
easily  won  this  first  contest. 

After  this,  they  held  a  running  contest.  The 
Swift  Runner  untied  his  leg  and  entered  the 
contest  with  a  runner,  who  was  also  obliged 
to  tie  a  leg  because  he  was  such  a  swift  run 
ner. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        39 

The  two  runners  started  for  a  race  around 
the  globe.  In  four  minutes  the  Swift  Kunner, 
who  had  entered  the  lists  for  his  friend,  re 
turned.  He  had  won  this  race. 

Then  the  Chief  proposed  contests  to  show 
who  was  the  strongest  among  the  suitors. 
There  were  contests  of  lifting  and  hurling 
rocks,  wrestling  and  pulling  at  one  another. 
In  all  of  these  games  the  Log  Carrier,  who  had 
been  the  first  to  join  the  travellers,  came  out 
victor. 

There  was  still  another  contest  to  be  held. 
The  suitors  must  coast  down  the  mountain  and 
leap  over  the  cliff  with  their  sleds.  The  Me- 
gumoowesoo  volunteered  to  coast  with  his 
friend.  Two  other  Indians,  who  were  mighty 
magicians,  went  on  another  sled.  This  was 
such  a  dangerous  race  that  everyone  was  very 
much  excited.  The  whole  village  turned  out  to 
see  the  race.  Down  the  steep  mountain  side 
the  sleds  dashed!  When  the  Megumoowesoo 
reached  the  top  of  the  cliff,  he  gave  a  great 
shout,  and  down  over  the  cliff  they  dashed  to 
the  ground,  and  sped  on  through  the  village 
and  on  to  the  river. 

The  other  Indians,  although  they  had  so  much 
magical  power,  did  not  have  enough  to  carry 
them  safely  over  the  cliff;  so  they  were  killed. 

After  this  contest,  the  Chief  declared  that 
the  strangers  had  won  the  Beautiful  Bride,  and 


40        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

so  they  held  a  great  wedding  feast.  Then  the 
wedding  party  set  out  for  home. 

They  had  not  gone  very  far,  when  a  terrible 
roaring  was  heard,  and  then  the  trees  behind 
them  were  torn  up  by  their  roots.  They  saw 
that  the  magicians  in  the  village  of  the  Beauti 
ful  Bride  had  conjured  up  a  whirlwind  to  de 
stroy  them.  Then  the  Hurricane  Man  uncov 
ered  his  nostrils  and  let  loose  a  terrible  storm. 
Whirlwind  met  whirlwind.  The  tempest  sent 
back  by  the  traveller  was  so  much  stronger  than 
the  other,  that  it  rushed  on,  carrying  back  the 
other  storm  with  it,  and  when  it  reached  the 
village,  it  swept  over  it,  completely  destroying 
it. 

The  wedding  party  finished  their  journey 
without  meeting  any  other  danger.  When  the 
Hurricane  Man  reached  his  home,  he  dropped 
from  the  party.  Then  the  Swift  Eunner 
stopped  at  his  home,  and  the  Log  Carrier 
stopped  at  his  home.  The  Megumoowesoo,  the 
young  man  and  the  Beautiful  Bride  travelled 
on  through  the  forest,  and  at  last  came  to 
the  shore  where  the  magical  canoe  was  hidden. 
They  stepped  upon  the  island  and  it  carried 
them  across  the  broad  lake  to  the  home  of  the 
Great  Chief. 

The  Megumoowesoo  told  the  story  of  their 
adventures  and  Glooscap  listened  to  every  word 
with  kindly  interest.  After  they  had  been  en- 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       41 

tertained  by  him,  they  set  out  upon  their  jour 
ney  again,  and  when  they  were  in  the  forest, 
the  Megumoowesoo  quietly  slipped  away,  leav 
ing  the  young  man  and  the  Beautiful  Bride  to 
continue  their  journey  alone. 

At  last  the  two  reached  their  home,  where 
the  old  Indians  were  eagerly  waiting  to  wel 
come  the  Beautiful  Bride. 

And  'kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  STAE  WIVES 

ONCE,  long  ago,  there  lived  in  the  forest 
a  widow  with  her  two  children,  who  were 
very  beautiful  maidens.  They  belonged  to  the 
family  of  Weasels.  Some  of  the  time  they  were 
Indians  and  some  of  the  time  they  were  ani 
mals. 

One  day  their  mother  sent  them  in  search  of 
groundnuts.  The  maidens  wandered  farther 
and  farther  into  the  forest,  until  it  began  to 
grow  dark.  Then  they  turned  to  go  home; 
but  go  which  ever  way  they  might,  they  could 
not  find  the  trail ! 

They  wandered  about  until,  at  last,  they 
were  so  weary  that  they  could  go  no  farther, 
and  they  lay  down  in  the  forest,  under  the 
open  sky,  to  sleep. 

There  were  no  clouds  in  the  sky,  and  the 
stars  were  shining.  The  maidens  looked  up 
at  the  stars,  and  they  began  to  imagine  that 
the  stars  were  the  eyes  of  lovers,  looking  down 
upon  them. 

"  Which  of  those  would  you  choose  for  a 
husband?"  the  younger  sister  asked.  "One 
with  small  eyes,  or  one  with  large  eyes! " 

42 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       43 

"I  like  large  stars  better,"  the  older  sister 
answered.  "I  would  choose  that  big  fellow 
with  the  large,  bright  eyes." 

"And  I  like  little  stars  better,"  said  the 
younger.  "I  would  choose  a  husband  with 
little,  twinkling  eyes." 

After  a  while  they  fell  asleep,  and  when  they 
awoke  in  the  morning,  and  the  older  sister 
stretched  out  her  arm,  which  had  been  cramped 
in  her  sleep,  she  heard  some  one  say  "Take 
care,  you  will  upset  my  dish  of  war  paint." 

She  opened  her  eyes,  and  lo !  standing  by  her, 
she  saw  a  noble  fellow,  his  face  adorned  like 
an  Indian  chief's.  He  had  great,  shining  eyes, 
which  looked  down  at  her  kindly.  It  was  the 
very  husband  of  her  choice.  He  had  the  very 
eyes  she  had  seen  as  stars  in  the  sky  the  night 
before ! 

And  then  the  younger  sister  stretched  out 
her  arm,  and  she  heard  a  low,  squeaking  voice 
say,  "Take  care!  You  will  upset  my  dish  of 
eye-water. ' ' 

She  looked  up,  and  lo!  by  her  side  was  the 
man  of  her  choice,  with  the  little  red  eyes  she 
had  seen  the  night  before.  But  their  owner 
was  a  dwarfish,  little  old  man  with  small,  red, 
sore  eyes.  There  was  no  help  for  it.  What 
she  had  chosen  she  must  have ! 

Now  these  husbands  were  hunters,  and  they 
were  often  away  in  the  forest  for  whole  days 


44        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

together.  Before  they  went  away  they  always 
said,  "Take  care  of  the  wigwams  while  we  are 
away  and  do  just  as  you  please — except  for 
one  thing.  On  no  account  touch  that  large 
stone  near  the  pine  tree,  for,  if  you  do,  great 
trouble  will  come  upon  you. ' ' 

For  a  time  the  maidens  were  careful  to  obey 
their  husbands,  and  they  did  not  go  near  the 
stone.  But  at  last  they  began  to  wonder  and 
wonder  what  could  be  under  that  stone.  Every 
day  they  grew  more  eager  to  know.  The  older 
sister  was  more  prudent  and  firm  than  the 
younger  and  would  never  touch  the  stone;  but 
the  younger  at  last  said,  "I  shall  lift  that  stone, 
and  peep  underneath,  no  matter  what  comes  of 
it." 

So,  one  day,  when  the  two  hunters  were  in 
the  forest,  the  younger  sister  went  to  the  stone, 
and  lifted  it — and  looked  underneath.  She 
started  back  with  a  scream  at  the  sight.  For 
she  found  that  they  were  up  above  the  sky! 
Their  husbands  had  carried  them  up  into  the 
star  world  while  they  slept. 

The  stone  covered  a  hole  like  a  trap  door; 
far  below  she  saw  the  world  upon  which  she 
had  once  lived,  and  the  village,  and  the  home 
of  her  childhood. 

The  older  sister  heard  the  scream,  and  ran 
to  the  stone.  She,  too,  looked  down  through 
the  hole  in  the  roof  of  the  world.  Then  they 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        45 

both  began  to  cry.  They  cried  and  sobbed  until 
their  eyes  were  red  with  weeping. 

That  evening,  when  the  husbands  came  home, 
the  sisters  tried  to  conceal  what  they  had  done ; 
but  in  vain. 

"What  has  been  your  trouble  to-day ?"  the 
husbands  asked.  "What  have  you  been  crying 
about  1" 

"We  have  had  no  trouble,  and  we  have  not 
been  crying  at  all,"  they  said,  afraid  to  tell 
the  truth. 

"But  surely  you  have,"  said  the  husbands. 
"And  you  have  been  looking  down  through 
the  trap-door.  You  are  lonely  up  here, 
and  you  long  to  get  away."  They  said  this 
very  kindly. 

"It  is  true,"  the  sisters  said,  at  last,  "we 
looked  under  the  stone  to-day,  and  we  long  to 
return  to  our  own  world." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  husbands,  "you  may 
go  back  if  you  wish.  To-night,  when  you  lie 
down  to  sleep,  you  must  follow  our  directions ; 
and  in  the  morning,  you  will  find  yourselves 
on  the  spot  in  the  forest  where  you  lay  when 
you  invited  us  to  become  your  husbands." 

Now  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  fall  asleep; 
but  they  must  not  be  in  haste  to  uncover  their 
faces,  or  to  open  their  eyes. 

"Wait  until  you  hear  a  chickadee  sing,"  the 
husbands  said;  "and  even  then  you  must  not 


46        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

open  your  eyes.  Wait  a  little  longer,  until  you 
hear  the  red  squirrel  sing;  and  still  you  must 
wait.  Keep  your  faces  covered,  and  your  eyes 
closed,  until  you  hear  the  striped  squirrel  sing. 
Then  uncover  your  heads  and  open  your  eyes, 
and  you  will  find  yourselves  in  your  own  world 
again. ' ' 

At  night,  the  sisters  lay  down  and  went  to 
sleep  as  they  were  told,  and  in  the  morning  they 
were  awakened  hy  the  sound  of  the  chickadee. 
The  younger  sister  wished  to  throw  off  the 
blanket  and  spring  up,  but  the  older  sister  held 
her  back. 

"Wait!  Wait,"  she  said,  " until  we  hear 
the  red  squirrel,  and  even  then  we  must  wait 
until  we  hear  the  striped  squirrel  sing." 

So  the  younger  sister  lay  back,  until  she 
heard  the  red  squirrel.  And  then,  always  im 
patient  and  rash,  she  sprang  up  at  the  sound 
and  threw  off  their  blanket. 

The  sun  had  risen.  They  were  back  in  their 
native  forest;  but  alas!  They  were  punished 
for  their  impatience.  They  were  lodged  in  the 
top  of  a  tall  pine  tree,  and  they  found  them 
selves  changed  into  little  Weasels. 

"What  shall  we  do?  How  shall  we  get  down 
from  the  tree?"  the  elder  sister  cried. 

"Oh,  that  will  be  easy  enough,"  the  younger 
sister  said.  "We  will  ask  the  first  one  who 
comes  by  to  take  us  down  and  we  will  promise 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       47 

that  we  will  marry  him.  And  when  we  are 
once  upon  the  ground,  we  will  run  away." 

The  first  who  passed  by  was  Team,  the 
Moose. 

"Our  elder  brother, "  the  sisters  called  down 
to  him.  "Set  us  free!  Take  us  down!  We 
will  go  home  with  you,  and  be  your  wives." 

Team  looked  up,  and  saw  the  pretty  white 
forms  of  the  Weasel  girls,  but  he  only  sneered 
at  them. 

"Why,  I  am  already  married,"  he  called 
back  to  them.  "I  was  married  last  autumn." 
And  then  he  went  along  on  his  journey  through 
the  forest. 

Then  after  a  long  while,  Mooin,  a  great  brown 
Bear,  came  by. 

"Oh,  our  elder  brother,"  the  Weasels  cried; 
'  '  set  us  free !  Take  us  down !  We  will  go  home 
with  you  and  be  your  wives."  Mooin  looked 
up  and  saw  the  Weasel  girls  upon  the  tree-top. 

"But  I  do  not  need  a  wife,"  he  said.  "I 
was  married  in  the  spring,"  and  he  growled 
and  walked  on. 

Then  came  Abistanaooch,  the  Marten,  and 
the  Weasel  sisters  called  to  Mm. 

But  Marten  did  not  care  to  help  them  either. 

"Oh,  I  was  married  in  the  early  spring,"  he 
called  to  them,  and  scampered  off,  leaving  the 
Weasel  girls  still  high  up  in  the  pine  tree. 

All  day  long  the  Weasel  girls  had  been  in 


48        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

the  pine  tree,  waiting  for  some  one  to  rescue 
them,  and  now  it  was  almost  night.  And  then, 
Kekwajoo,  the  Badger,  the  mischief  maker, 
came  by,  in  search  of  mischief  as  usual.  And 
when  the  Weasel  girls  begged  him  to  help  them 
down,  he  thought  he  could  surely  play  some 
prank  upon  them.  So  he  helped  them  down. 
He  carried  the  younger  sister  first;  but  when 
he  took  the  elder  sister  down,  she  said,  "  Would 
you  please  go  back  for  my  hair-string?  I  prize 
it  very  much." 

The  Badger  very  willingly  went  back  for  the 
hair-string,  which  he  found  knotted  about  the 
tree, — and  while  he  was  untying  it,  the  Weasel 
girls  made  their  escape,  and  ran  away  home. 

Never  again  did  the  Weasel  girls  wish  to  be 
star  wives! 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


OOCHIGEOPCH— THE  SCABBED  YOUNG 
BBAVE 

FAB  away  in  the  forest  there  lived  two  old 
Indians  with  their  son.  He  was  their 
only  child. 

When  the  boy  had  grown  to  be  a  young 
brave,  the  mother  said  to  him  one  day,  "My 
son,  it  is  lonely  here,  and  I  am  growing  old; 
and  soon  I  shall  not  be  able  to  prepare  the 
meat  in  flakes  for  drying.  Soon  I  can  no 
longer  make  your  moccasins  or  your  blankets 
for  you.  Then  we  shall  need  younger  hands 
than  mine  in  our  lodge.  So,  my  son,  I  would 
have  a  daughter  with  me  in  the  wigwam.  Seek 
out  a  maiden  for  your  wife,  and  bring  her  to 
us  in  the  forest,  and  then  will  our  hearts  be 
glad." 

And  the  young  brave  said,  ' '  That  is  well,  my 
mother,  but  where  shall  I  journey  to  find  such 
a  maiden  ?" 

The  mother  prepared  his  clothing  for  him, 
and  told  him  which  way  to  go. 

"Follow  the  river  up  stream  until  you  come 
to  a  small  Indian  village.  You  will  not  find  the 
maiden  there,  but  they  will  tell  you  the  way." 

49 


50        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  young  man  set  out  as  his  mother  had  told 
him.  When  he  reached  the  small  village,  he 
entered  one  of  the  humblest  lodges.  There  he 
found  an  old  woman  and  a  little  boy.  They 
welcomed  him,  and  the  little  boy  seemed  to  be 
very  happy  in  waiting  upon  him.  The  old 
woman  guessed  what  his  errand  was. 

"  There  are  two  of  our  young  braves  who 
like  adventures.  I  will  speak  to  them,  and 
one  of  them  will  be  your  guide, "  she  said. 

The  next  day  the  young  brave,  with  the  guide, 
started  upon  his  journey.  They  passed  an  In 
dian  village,  and  after  travelling  a  long,  long 
way,  they  came  to  another  village.  This  was  a 
very  large  encampment.  The  young  brave  said, 
"Here  I  will  seek  a  wife." 

Now  this  young  man  was  so  brave  and  strong 
that  he  had  gained  a  little  magical  power;  so, 
before  he  entered  the  village,  he  transformed 
himself  into  an  awkward,  deformed  man,  with 
a  bruised,  scarred  face.  And  instead  of  his 
embroidered  robes,  he  wore  the  meanest  cloth 
ing. 

The  two  entered  the  village,  and  went  to  the 
poorest  and  plainest  lodge.  Here  lived  an  old 
grandmother,  with  her  little  boy,  Marten.  The 
guide  told  the  old  woman  their  errand. 

"My  friend  is  lonely,"  he  said. 

The  old  grandmother  saw  at  once  that  this 
poor  looking  Indian  had  assumed  that  appear- 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        51 

ance  to  test  the  maidens,  so  she  answered  them, 
"The  chief  has  many  beautiful  daughters.  I 
will  talk  with  him." 

When  she  told  the  chief  about  this  Indian, 
who  had  come  there,  seeking  a  wife,  and 
that  he  was  so  scarred  and  sore,  and  that  he 
did  not  look  at  all  like  a  brave  young  warrior, 
the  chief  said  at  once,  "  Bring  the  young  brave 
hither,  and  let  him  take  the  choice  of  my 
daughters."  For  the  old  chief,  too,  had  a 
touch  of  magical  power,  and  he  at  once  knew 
that  this  Indian  was  not  what  he  seemed  to 
be. 

The  beautiful  daughters  seated  themselves 
in  a  circle  about  the  wigwam,  and  waited  for 
the  young  brave  to  enter,  and  choose  one  of  them 
for  his  wife.  As  he  entered  the  wigwam,  he 
let  the  branches  of  the  doorway  brush  against 
his  face  and  tear  the  scars  and  sores.  When 
the  beautiful  maidens  saw  this  stumbling  crea 
ture,  with  his  face  bleeding,  they  screamed  and 
ran.  Just  one  remained  on  her  mat.  She 
was  the  youngest  and  best  of  all  the  chief's 
daughters.  The  young  man  sat  down  beside 
her. 

They  were  married  that  very  day,  and  the 
maiden  could  not  keep  back  her  tears. 

"Do  not  cry,  my  child,"  the  old  chief  said. 
"You  will  soon  find  that  you  have  no  reason  to 
be  sorrowful." 


52        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

But  all  the  older  sisters  laughed  and  taunted 
her. 

"What  a  husband !"  they  said.  "He  is  all 
scars  and  sores!  Who  would  have  an  Oochi- 
geopch — a  scarred  man — for  a  husband !" 

But  the  youngest  daughter  remembered  the 
words  of  the  father,  and  she  waited  patiently 
for  the  time  to  come  when  she  would  have  no 
need  for  sorrow. 

Early  in  the  morning,  when  she  opened  her 
eyes,  she  saw  that  something  wonderful  had 
happened,  for  there  before  her,  dressed  in  beau 
tiful,  embroidered  robes,  was  the  handsomest 
young  brave  she  had  ever  seen. 

' '  Why !    Who  is  this  f "  she  cried. 

"This  is  the  very  same  person  you  married 
yesterday,  my  daughter,"  the  mother  said. 

Oh,  how  delighted  she  was !  And  how  angry 
and  mortified  her  older  sisters  were! 

And  then  the  old  chief  made  a  great  festival, 
and  there  were  feasts  and  games,  and  after 
these  were  over,  the  two  young  people  set  out 
for  the  lodge  in  the  far-away  forest.  When 
they  reached  the  place,  the  old  father  and  the 
mother  were  waiting  to  welcome  them.  "Our 
children,  you  have  made  our  hearts  glad, ' '  they 
said: 

And  'kespeadooJcsit — the  story  ends. 


By   permission,    copyright    by   Houghton, 

Glooscap    destroying   Malsum    tlie 
that  Glooscap"  was  one  of  twins 


Mi 


<&    Co. 


wolf.     The    Indians    say 
The  younger,  —  Malsum 

(who  typifies  the  evil  principle  as  Glooscap  does  the 
good)  killed  his  mother  at  his  birth,  then  later  tried  to 
kill  Glooscap  so  that  he  might  rule  the  world.  But  he 
could  not  find  what  would  accomplish  this,  until  the 
Beavers  told  him  that  a  flowering  rush  had  the  power. 
But,  before  Malsum  could  carry  out  his  design,  Glooscap 
killed  him  —  some  say  with  a  handful  of  bird's  down  and 
others  say  with  a  flag  root.  In  this  picture  Glooscap  is 
represented  as  using  a  flag-root.  Good  overcame  evil,  the 
Indians  believe,  and  good  rules  the  world. 


MOOIN  THE  BEAE'S  CHILD 

LONG,  long  ago  there  lived  in  an  Indian  vil 
lage  a  little  orphan  boy.  His  father 
and  mother  died  when  he  was  a  baby,  and  he 
had  no  brothers  or  sisters,  so  he  was  all  alone. 

The  little  orphan  boy  had  no  home  and  no 
one  to  care  for  him.  He  lived  with  one  family 
for  a  little  while, — and  then  he  went  to  another 
wigwam  and  stayed  there  for  a  few  days,  and 
then  to  another  and  another,  and  this  was  the 
way  he  lived. 

No  one  wished  to  adopt  him;  he  was  just  a 
little  wanderer,  going  from  one  lodge  to  another 
for  shelter. 

One  day  in  the  autumn,  the  little  orphan  boy 
went  into  the  forest  alone  to  pick  berries.  He 
was  very  hungry,  and  as  he  wandered  from  one 
bush  to  another,  to  pick  the  berries  and  eat 
them,  he  did  not  notice  how  far  into  the  forest 
he  was  going.  At  last  he  turned  to  go  back, 
and  he  did  not  know  which  path  to  take. 

He  followed  one  trail,  thinking  that  it  might 
lead  him  to  some  part  of  the  forest  he  had  been 
in  before ;  but  everything  was  new  and  strange 

53 


54        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

to  him.  He  tried  another  path  and  another; 
but  go  where  he  would,  he  could  not  find  his 
way  out  of  the  forest.  He  was  lost. 

The  child  wandered  on  and  on,  and  after 
awhile  it  grew  dark,  and  he  was  tired  and  lonely 
— for  he  was  only  five  years  old.  He  wandered 
on  in  the  dark,  and  at  last  he  saw  a  light  glim 
mering  through  the  trees.  He  followed  the 
gleam  until  he  reached  the  light. 

The  light  came  from  a  wigwam,  and  he  heard 
people  talking  inside.  He  went  to  the  doorway 
and  saw  a  woman  sitting  in  the  wife's  place; 
and  farther  on,  before  the  fire,  were  two  little 
boys.  The  woman  looked  up  at  him  kindly,  and 
said, ' '  Enter,  my  child.  Why  are  you  out  in  the 
cold?  Where  is  your  home?" 

"I  was  wandering  in  the  forest  in  search  of 
berries  to  eat;  for  I  had  great  hunger, "  said 
the  child.  "And  now  I  am  lost." 

"But  where  is  your  home,  my  child?"  the 
woman  asked. 

"  Ah !  I  have  no  home, ' '  the  orphan  boy  said, 
shaking  his  head. 

Then  the  woman  gave  him  food,  and  while  he 
ate  of  it,  sitting  beside  the  little  boys,  the 
woman  said,  "You  say  that  you  have  no  home, 
my  child?  Then  stay  here  and  be  my  child." 

So  the  little  orphan  boy  stayed  there  in  the 
forest  in  his  new  home,  and  he  was  happy  all 
the  day  long.  He  could  not  remember  anyone's 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        55 

being  so  kind  to  Mm  before,  and  this  was  the 
first  time  anyone  had  been  glad  to  see  him. 

Now  as  the  orphan  boy  had  no  home  in  the 
Indian  village  where  he  had  lived,  there  was  no 
one  to  notice  that  he  was  not  with  them  as 
usual.  But  after  a  week,  some  one  happened  to 
remember  that  he  had  not  seen  the  little  orphan 
boy. 

"Have  you  seen  the  little  orphan  boy  to 
day  ?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  every  one  answered.  "Where  can  he 
be?" 

But  nobody  had  seen  him.  Then  they 
searched  in  the  forest  for  him;  but  they  could 
not  find  him. 

"Ah!"  they  said,  "he  is  lost."  And  they 
went  back  to  their  village  and  forgot  all  about 
the  little  orphan  boy. 

That  night,  when  the  little  child  followed  the 
gleam  and  found  the  light  in  the  wigwam,  he 
did  not  know  that  the  kind  people  were  a  family 
of  bears.  He  could  understand  all  they  said, 
and  so  he  did  not  realise  that  they  were  not 
Indians  like  himself.  All  winter  long  they  had 
their  home  together.  The  bear  had  a  good 
supply  of  dried  meat  and  berries,  and  the  child 
enjoyed  the  food  with  them. 

At  last  spring  came.  The  ice  melted  from  the 
rivers  and  streams;  and  then  the  smelts  gath- 


56        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ered  in  them  to  make  homes  there  for  a  little 
while. 

The  Indians  were  on  the  watch  to  catch  these 
smelts,  and  the  bears  were  too.  The  Indians 
knew  that  the  bears  fished  for  smelts  at  this 
time,  so  they  watched  for  bears  as  well  as  for 
smelts. 

One  day  a  hunter  was  looking  for  bear  tracks, 
and  he  found  the  tracks  of  an  old  bear  and  two 
cubs ;  and  with  these  tracks,  he  saw  marks  like 
those  made  by  the  naked  feet  of  a  little  child. 

"This  is  a  queer  looking  bear's  track, "  he 
thought.  "There  is  something  remarkable 
about  this,  I  must  watch. " 

So  the  next  day  at  sundown,  when  the  smelts 
would  be  most  abundant,  the  man  watched  near 
the  tracks  for  the  bears.  Presently  he  heard 
some  one  coming  toward  him,  talking  very 
busily  as  he  came.  Soon  he  saw  an  old  mother 
bear,  leading  the  way ;  and  behind  her  were  two 
cubs  and  a  small,  naked  boy  about  five  years  old. 

The  boy  and  the  cubs  were  talking  together. 
The  hunter  could  hear  and  understand  every 
word  the  little  boy  said ;  but  the  talk  of  the  little 
bears  sounded  to  him  like  the  murmur  of  young 
bears  only. 

The  hunter  watched  them.  He  saw  the  old 
bear  take  a  net,  and  hold  it  in  the  stream,  while 
the  little  boy  went  further  down  stream,  and 
drove  the  smelts  into  the  net.  And  then  the 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        57 

bear  would  empty  the  fish  upon  the  bank,  and  go 
back  for  another  supply. 

After  they  had  gone  away,  the  hunter  went 
back  to  his  home,  and  told  the  people  about  this 
strange  sight. 

"But  who  is  this  child !"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  it  must  be  the  little  orphan  boy,  who  was 
lost  last  fall,"  they  said.  "We  must  rescue 
him.  We  will  watch  with  you  to-morrow  at 
sunset  and  capture  him." 

The  next  day,  before  the  old  bear  and  the 
little  ones  left  their  home,  the  old  bear  said  to 
the  little  child,  "My  child,  the  hunters  go  to 
the  stream  for  fish,  and  there  they  often  capture 
those  of  my  people.  If  they  should  take  you 
with  them  again,  will  you  not  beg  of  them  not 
to  kill  me?" 

"But  how  will  they  know  you  from  all  the 
others?"  the  little  boy  asked. 

"Climb  a  high  tree,  and  look  around,"  she 
said.  "You  will  see  smoke  rising  here  and 
there  in  all  directions.  In  some  places  there 
will  be  more  smoke  than  in  others;  then  you 
will  know  that  the  thicker  smoke  comes  from  the 
homes  where  the  mother  is  cooking  for  the  little 
ones.  These  are  the  homes  that  your  people 
should  spare." 

The  child  promised  that  he  would  do  this,  if 
he  should  ever  be  with  his  people  again.  Then 
they  started  out  to  fish  for  smelts. 


58        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

When  they  were  busy  at  their  work,  the  hunt 
ers  surrounded  them.  They  did  not  try  to  cap 
ture  the  bears,  but  they  made  a  circle  about  the 
boy,  drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  until  they 
seized  him,  and  held  him  fast. 

The  child  screamed  and  scratched  and  bit  just 
like  a  little  bear,  and  was  so  wild  and  fierce  that 
they  could  hardly  hold  him.  They  carried  him 
back  to  the  village  where  he  had  lived,  and  the 
people  said,  "Yes,  he  is  the  little  orphan  boy 
who  had  no  home." 

And  then  an  old  grandmother  took  him  by 
the  hand.  "Little  lonely  one,"  she  said,  "you 
shall  be  alone  no  longer.  You  belong  to  me. 
Truly  I  should  be  as  willing  to  show  you  kind 
ness  as  was  a  bear  of  the  forest. " 

And  so  the  little  orphan  boy  belonged  to  some 
body  from  that  day.  And  then  all  the  hunters 
declared  that  from  that  day  the  lives  of  the 
mother  bears  should  be  spared. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  GIANT  MAGICIANS 

ONCE,  long  ago,  there  lived  by  the  sea,  far 
away  from  other  people,  an  Indian  and 
his  wife.  They  had  many  children,  and  they 
were  very  poor. 

One  day,  the  man  and  his  wife  went  out  in 
their  canoe  far  from  land.  There  came  up  a 
quick  fog,  and  they  were  lost.  By  and  by, 
through  the  fog,  they  heard  a  noise  as  of  pad 
dles  and  voices.  It  drew  nearer,  and  they  saw 
dimly  through  the  fog  a  monstrous  canoe,  filled 
with  giants.  The  giants  called  out  to  them, 
"Little  people,  where  are  you  going ?" 

"We  are  lost  in  the  fog,"  said  the  poor  In 
dian,  very  sadly,  "and  our  children  are  alone 
at  home." 

"Then  come  with  us  to  our  camp,"  said  the 
leader,  who  seemed  to  be  a  kind-hearted  giant; 
"my  father  will  treat  you  well,  for  he  is  the 
chief.  So  have  no  fear. ' ' 

The  three  great  canoes  closed  around  the 
little  one,  and  the  giants  lifted  it  on  their  pad 
dles  into  the  leader's  canoe. 

When  they  reached  the  beach,  the  Indians 
saw  three  great  wigwams;  and  coming  to  meet 

69 


60        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

them  was  the  chief,  who  was  the  largest  giant 
of  all. 

4 "Son,"  he  cried,  "what  have  you  there? 
Where  did  you  find  that  little  brother?" 

"My  father,"  he  answered,  "I  found  him 
lost  in  the  fog." 

"Well,  bring  him  home  to  the  lodge,  my  son," 
said  the  chief. 

So  they  carried  the  canoe  into  the  wigwam 
of  the  chief,  with  the  Indian  and  his  wife  still 
sitting  in  it.  Then  they  put  the  canoe  under  the 
eaves,  and  placed  food  before  the  little  people 
— more  than  they  could  eat  in  a  week. 

The  next  day  two  of  the  chief's  sons  went  out 
hunting,  and  when  they  returned  they  carried 
about  their  waists  many  caribou,  as  easily  as  a 
Micmac  would  carry  a  string  of  rabbits  in  his 
belt.  And  besides  the  caribou  there  were  otters 
and  beavers  hanging  from  the  giants'  belts. 

The  next  day  the  giant  chief  said,  "We  are 
to  be  attacked.  We  must  be  prepared  for  war. 
In  three  days  a  terrible  Chenoo,  with  a  heart  of 
ice  and  stone,  will  come  from  the  north  to  de 
vour  us.  We  must  make  ready  to  meet  him." 

So  two  sons  of  the  giant  chief,  with  two  other 
braves,  started  out  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
third  day  to  meet  the  cannibal  giant  Chenoo. 
When  the  time  for  the  battle  came,  the  chief 
said  to  the  little  people,  "Stop  up  your  ears, 
and  bind  your  heads,  and  roll  yourselves  in 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        61 

many  folds  of  dressed  skins,  lest  you  should 
hear  the  deadly  war  scream  of  the  Chenoo." 

They  did  so,  and  yet  with  all  that,  the  terrible 
scream  of  the  Chenoo  almost  killed  them.  The 
second  scream  of  the  Chenoo  harmed  them  less, 
and  the  third  they  scarcely  heard  at  all.  Then 
the  giant  chief,  who  knew  by  his  magic  all  that 
was  happening,  came  in,  and  told  them  to  un 
wrap  themselves,  and  come  out,  for  the  Chenoo 
had  been  slain. 

Soon  the  warriors  returned,  and  told  about 
their  hard  battle  with  the  Chenoo. 

The  next  day  the  giant  chief  said,  "In  three 
days  we  shall  be  attacked  by  a  Kookwes;  so 
make  ready  to  do  battle  with  him. ' ' 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  the  four 
warriors  again  went  out  to  meet  the  cannibal 
giant  Kookwes.  The  little  people  stopped  their 
ears,  and  wrapped  themselves  in  dressed  skins 
as  they  had  done  before.  Again  they  heard  a 
great  shout ;  then  a  fainter  one,  and  then  a  third 
still  weaker.  Then  the  warriors  returned,  cov 
ered  with  blood,  with  their  legs  pierced  with 
great  trees,  for  the  fight  had  been  in  a  forest. 
It  had  been  a  terrible  battle.  The  giants  had 
been  nearly  overpowered.  And  as  it  was,  the 
chief's  eldest  son  had  been  so  sorely  wounded 
that  he  fell  dead  before  his  father's  wigwam. 

When  the  old  chief  saw  him  fall,  he  went  out 
and  stood  beside  him. 


62        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Why  are  yon  lying  there,  my  son!"  he 
asked. 

"Ah!  my  father,  it  is  because  I  am  dead," 
the  son  replied. 

Then  the  old  giant  said,  "My  son,  arise." 
And  the  son  came  to  life,  restored  by  the  won 
derful  magical  power  of  the  old  chief. 

Now  the  chief  thought  that  his  little  people 
might  be  finding  life  dull  among  them. 

"Are  you  tired  of  visiting  with  us?"  he 
asked. 

"We  have  never  been  so  merry,"  they  said, 
"but  we  cannot  help  being  anxious  about  our 
children  at  home." 

"Ah,  indeed!  That  must  be  so,"  replied  the 
old  chief.  "To-morrow  morning  I  will  have 
you  carried  home." 

In  the  morning,  the  canoe  was  brought  down 
from  the  eaves,  and  was  packed  full  of  the  finest 
fur  and  the  best  meat.  Then  a  small  dog  was 
put  in,  and  the  chief  said,  "This  dog  will  lead 
you  safely  home.  Each  of  you  must  take  a 
paddle  and  guide  the  canoe  in  the  direction  in 
which  the  dog  sits  looking."  And  then  the 
giant  chief  said  to  the  dog,  "And  do  you  take 
good  care  of  these  little  people,  and  guide  them 
home." 

As  the  Indian  and  his  wife  entered  the  canoe, 
the  old  chief  said,  "In  seven  years  you  will  be 
reminded  of  me." 


BONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        63 

The  Indian  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  canoe ;  his 
wife  sat  in  the  prow;  and  the  dog  sat  in  the 
middle.  The  dog  kept  his  ears  and  nose 
pointed  in  the  direction  they  were  to  go,  and 
they  glided  so  rapidly  over  the  smooth  water 
that  they  were  soon  in  sight  of  home.  Their 
children  saw  them  nearing  the  shore,  and  ran 
down  to  meet  them,  shouting  for  joy.  And  the 
dog,  as  soon  as  he  saw  them  safely  ashore, 
turned  and  ran  home  again,  leaping  and  running 
over  the  water  as  though  it  were  ice. 

Now  this  Indian,  who  had  always  been  poor, 
began  to  see  better  days.  When  he  let  down  his 
lines,  the  biggest  fish  came  to  them ;  and  thus  in 
every  way  he  prospered.  The  time  passed  so 
quickly,  and  he  was  so  busy,  that  before  the 
seven  years  had  passed  he  had  almost  forgotten 
that  he  had  ever  been  lost  in  the  fog.  But  when 
the  seven  years  were  nearly  ended,  as  he  slept 
he  began  to  have  many  dreams.  In  them  he 
went  back  to  the  land  of  the  giants,  and  saw  all 
those  who  had  been  so  kind  to  him.  And  one 
night  he  dreamed  that  he  was  standing  by  his 
wigwam  near  the  sea,  and  that  a  great  whale 
swam  up  to  him  and  began  to  sing ;  and  the  sing 
ing  was  the  sweetest  that  he  had  ever  heard. 

Then  he  remembered  that  the  giant  had  told 
him  he  would  be  reminded  of  him  in  seven  years, 
and  he  thought,  "I  must  be  looking  toward  the 
southwest. "  And  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  These 


64        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

dreams  must  mean  that  I  am  about  to  be  trans 
formed  into  a  Megumoowesoo." 

That  day  they  saw  a  great  shark  swimming 
about  in  their  bay.  He  seemed  to  be  chasing 
the  small  fish.  He  came  close  to  the  shore,  but 
he  did  not  sing  as  the  whale  had  done  in  the  In 
dian's  dream.  This  seemed  to  the  man  and  his 
wife  an  evil  omen.  But  soon  afterward  there 
came  trotting  to  them  over  the  sea  the  same 
small  dog  which  had  been  their  pilot  from  the 
land  of  the  giants.  The  dog  wagged  his  tail 
for  joy  at  seeing  them,  and  seemed  to  be  wait 
ing  for  some  message  from  the  man.  The  man 
understood,  and  he  said,  "I  will  make  you  a 
visit  in  three  years'  time,  and  I  will  look  to  the 
southwest." 

Then  the  dog  licked  the  hand  and  ears  and 
eyes  of  the  man,  and  went  home  as  before,  over 
the  sea,  running  over  the  water. 

When  the  three  years  had  passed,  the  Indian 
entered  his  canoe,  and  paddled  out  into  the 
great  water  without  fear.  He  found  his  way  to 
the  land  of  the  giants,  and  he  saw  the  great 
wigwam  standing  on  the  beach,  and  the  huge 
canoes  drawn  up  on  the  shore.  He  saw  the  old 
giant  coming  down  from  far  off  to  meet  him,  but 
he  was  alone. 

When  he  had  been  welcomed  in  the  wigwam 
he  learned  that  all  the  sons  were  dead.  They 
had  died  three  years  before,  when  the  shark — 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        65 

a  great  sorcerer — had  been  seen  off  the  shore. 

"My  sons  are  gone,"  the  old  chief  said,  "and 
I  shall  soon  follow;  but  before  I  go,  I  wish  to 
leave  their  magical  power  with  you.  Take  their 
clothes,  and  wear  them;  and  in  wearing  them, 
you  will  receive  all  the  wonderful  powers  my 
sons  possessed.  Take  them  home  with  you,  and 
when  you  put  them  on,  think  of  me." 

So  the  Indian  took  the  clothes,  and  went  home. 
When  he  put  them  on  they  were  so  large  that 
he  was  almost  lost  in  them ;  but — what  was  his 
surprise  to  find  himself  growing  and  growing 
and  growing  until  the  clothes  just  fitted  him! 
He  was  as  large  as  the  giants  of  giant  land. 
And  he  was  as  strong  and  as  wise  as  they  had 
been.  But  when  he  took  the  clothes  off  he 
grew  small  and  weak  again.  And  so,  whenever 
he  needed  to  use  magical  power,  he  put  on  the 
giant's  clothes,  and  he  became  great  and  wise, 
and  he  could  do  whatever  he  willed  to  do. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


AN  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  CHENOO 

LONG  ago,  in  the  olden  time,  an  Indian,  with 
his  wife  and  child,  went  far  away  toward 
the  northwest  into  the  forest  to  hunt  and  trap. 
They  built  a  wigwam,  and  made  it  all  ready 
for  the  winter. 

All  went  well  for  a  time.  The  man  hunted, 
and  brought  home  plenty  of  game  and  fur.  The 
wife  was  kept  busy,  slicing  and  drying  the  meat, 
and  preparing  the  food,  and  taking  care  of  her 
child. 

One  afternoon,  as  the  wife  was  out  gathering 
wood,  she  heard  a  noise  among  the  bushes  near 
by,  as  though  some  large  animal  were  making 
its  way  through  them.  She  looked, — and  her 
heart  stood  still  with  horror.  There  stood  a 
creature,  part  human  and  part  beast,  and  part 
demon !  It  was  of  the  size  and  form  of  a  man, 
an  old  man, — naked,  and  with  a  hideous  face. 

The  woman  had  heard  of  the  terrible  Chenoo 
of  the  north,  a  cruel  monster  with  a  heart  of  ice 
and  stone,  and  she  knew  at  once  that  this  was 
one  of  the  fierce  cannibals  so  much  dreaded  by 
every  one,  and  that  he  had  come  to  kill  and  de 
vour  her. 

66 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        67 

Although  she  was  so  terrified,  the  woman 
thought  instantly  of  a  plan  for  escape.  She 
rushed  toward  the  monster,  crying  out,  "Why, 
my  own  dear  father,  where  have  you  come  from, 
after  being  gone  so  long?  Come  in!  Come 
in!"  She  took  him  hy  the  hand,  and  led  him 
into  the  lodge.  "But,  my  dear  father,  why  do 
I  see  you  so  worn  and  ill-used ?"  she  said,  as 
she  gave  him  a  blanket  of  her  husband's  to  put 
on. 

The  Chenoo  made  no  answer  to  her  talk,  but 
took  the  clothing  and  put  it  on,  and  sat  down 
where  he  was  bidden. 

"Are  you  not  hungry?"  she  asked  and 
hastened  to  place  food  before  him.  The  Chenoo 
scarcely  tasted  it,  and  all  the  time  he  looked  at 
her  angrily  and  fiercely. 

The  woman  tried  to  conceal  her  terror.  She 
talked  all  the  time  pleasantly,  and  busied  her 
self  to  make  the  horrible  creature  comfortable. 
At  last  she  went  out  to  gather  more  wood  for  the 
fire.  The  Chenoo  rose  and  followed. 

"Give  me  the  axe,"  he  said.  She  gave  it  to 
him,  thinking,  "Now  he  will  kill  me."  But  he 
began  cutting  down  the  trees.  He  cut  them 
and  broke  them  up  as  though  they  were  straw, 
and  soon  there  was  so  much  wood  that  she 
said,  "My  father,  that  is  enough.  We  have 
plenty." 

Then  the  Chenoo  laid  down  the  axe,  and  went 


68        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

back  into  the  wigwam,  and  took  his  seat  as  be 
fore. 

The  woman  followed  him  in,  and  took  her  seat 
near  the  door.  Soon  she  saw  her  husband  com 
ing,  and  went  out  to  meet  him. 

"There  is  a  terrible  Chenoo  in  the  lodge," 
she  said,  "I  am  pretending  that  he  is  my 
father.  Do,"  she  begged,  "call  him  father;  it 
may  save  our  lives." 

"My  father-in-law,"  said  the  Indian,  when 
he  went  into  the  wigwam,  "where  have  you 
come  from,  and  how  long  have  you  been  on 
your  journey?" 

The  Chenoo  stared  at  him  in  amazement ;  but 
as  the  man  went  on  to  tell  him  all  that  had 
happened  since  he  went  away,  his  fierce  face 
began  to  grow  a  little  more  gentle. 

When  they  had  their  evening  meal,  they 
offered  the  Chenoo  food,  but  he  ate  noth 
ing.  And  when  night  came,  he  lay  down  and 
slept. 

All  the  next  day  the  creature  kept  the  same 
fierce  silence ;  but  on  the  third  day,  he  began  to 
yield  to  the  power  of  kindness.  He  spoke  to 
the  woman,  calling  her  daughter,  and  asked  for 
food.  After  he  had  eaten  it,  he  fell  asleep. 
When  he  awoke  he  seemed  changed,  and  spoke 
gently,  and  asked  for  more  food,  and  when  it 
was  brought,  he  ate  heartily.  When  the  roaring 
fire  became  too  warm  for  his  body,  accustomed 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        69 

to  the  cold  of  the  north,  he  asked  the  woman 
to  shield  him  with  a  screen. 

After  this,  the  Chenoo  became  so  gentle  that 
they  feared  him  no  more.  He  became  one  of 
them,  and  did  as  they  did.  But  of  the  dried 
meats,  such  as  the  Indians  used,  he  soon  became 
tired.  One  day  he  said  to  the  woman,  speaking 
gently,  "My  daughter,  have  you  any  fresh 
meat!" 

"We  have  none,"  she  said. 

"Is  there  a  spring  of  water  near?"  he  then 
asked  her  husband. 

"None  nearer  than  a  half  day's  journey, " 
tlie  Indian  told  him. 

"We  must  go  there  to-morrow,"  said  the 
Chenoo. 

They  made  everything  ready,  and  in  the 
morning  they  started  off.  The  Indian  led  the 
way.  He  was  young  and  active,  but  the  Chenoo 
easily  followed,  old  and  feeble  as  he  seemed. 
They  came  to  the  spring.  It  was  large  and 
beautiful.  The  snow  was  melted  away  around 
it,  leaving  a  border,  flat  and  green. 

Then  the  Chenoo  laid  aside  his  blanket,  and 
began  a  magic  dance  around  the  spring.  Soon 
the  water  began  to  rise  and  fall,  as  if  moved 
by  some  monster  beneath  it.  The  Chenoo 
danced  faster  and  faster,  and  soon  the  head  of 
a  huge  lizard  appeared  above  the  surface.  He 
raised  his  head  high,  and  then  his  body,  as 


70        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

though  to  come  out  of  the  water.  The  old  man 
killed  the  creature  with  one  blow  of  his  hatchet, 
and  dragged  the  body  out,  and  laid  it  on  the 
bank. 

Once  more  he  began  his  magic  dance,  and 
soon  another  great  lizard  was  captured. 

The  Chenoo  now  dressed  the  meat,  and  made 
a  great  bundle  of  it,  and  threw  it  over  his 
shoulder.  Then  he  said  to  the  Indian,  "Lead 
the  way  home." 

It  was  past  noon.  The  journey  was  long,  so 
they  started  on  the  run.  The  man  was  swift, 
and  there  was  no  Indian  who  could  run  faster, 
but  the  Chenoo  pressed  close  upon  him. 

"Can  you  run  no  f aster ?"  the  Chenoo  asked. 
"The  sun  is  setting  already,  and  it  will  be  dark 
before  we  reach  the  lodge. " 

"Ah,  I  can  go  no  faster,"  answered  the  In 
dian. 

"Get  on  my  back  then,"  said  the  Chenoo. 
The  Indian  mounted  on  top  of  the  load.  The 
Chenoo  bade  him  hold  his  head  low  to  escape 
the  branches.  Then  the  old  man  ran  like  the 
wind.  The  branches  whistled  as  they  passed 
by,  and  they  were  at  home  before  nightfall. 

When  the  wife  knew  what  their  meat  was, 
she  was  unwilling  to  touch  it,  but  her  husband 
persuaded  her  to  prepare  it  for  the  Chenoo. 
They  themselves  lived  upon  the  food  to  which 
they  were  accustomed,  and  the  Chenoo  upon 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        71 

his.     So  they  all  remained  together  as  friends. 

Then  the  spring  was  at  hand.  One  day  the 
Chenoo  said,  "Something  terrible  will  soon 
come  to  pass.  An  enemy — a  Chenoo — a  woman 
— will  come  like  the  wind  from  the  north  to 
kill  me.  There  can  be  no  escape  from  the  battle. 
She  will  be  far  more  furious,  and  mad,  and  cruel 
than  any  male  Chenoo  can  be.  No  one  can  tell 
how  the  battle  will  end;  but  you,  my  children, 
must  go  to  a  place  of  safety,  to  keep  from  hear 
ing  the  terrible  war  whoop  of  the  Chenoo,  which 
is  death  to  men.  You  must  cover  your  ears, 
and  hide  yourselves  in  a  cave." 

Then  he  sent  the  woman  for  the  bundle  he 
had  brought  with  him.  This  had  hung  un 
touched  on  the  branch  of  a  tree. 

The  Chenoo  opened  the  bundle,  and  took  out 
a  pair  of  dragon's  horns.  One  of  them  had  two 
branches,  the  other  was  straight  and  smooth, 
and  both  were  as  bright  as  gold.  He  gave  the 
straight  horn  to  the  Indian,  and  kept  the  other 
one  for  himself. 

"These  are  magical  weapons,"  he  said,  "and 
the  only  ones  that  can  be  of  use  in  the  coming 
battle." 

On  the  third  day,  the  enemy  came  as  the 
Chenoo  had  said.  The  old  man  was  brave  and 
bold.  He  heard  the  long  terrible  scream  of  his 
foe  without  fear  or  trembling,  as  she  flew 
through  the  air  from  the  icy  north.  He  heard 


72        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

it  long  before  the  others,  and  told  them  that 
now  they  must  hide. 

"The  terrible  Chenoo  is  coming,  you  must 
now  hide  yourself, "  he  said.  "If  you  can  live 
after  hearing  the  first  scream,  you  will  not  be 
harmed  by  her  in  any  way.  If  you  hear  me  call, 
'My  son,  come  to  my  aid,'  bring  with  you 
the  horn,  and  you  may  be  able  to  save  my 
life." 

They  did  as  he  directed.  They  hid  in  a  deep 
hole  which  they  had  dug  in  the  ground.  They 
covered  their  ears;  but  all  at  once  the  cry  of 
the  foe  burst  upon  them  like  terrible  thunder, 
and  their  ears  rang  with  pain.  In  spite  of  all 
the  care  they  had  taken,  they  were  nearly 
killed;  but  soon  they  heard  the  answering  cry 
of  their  friend,  and  they  knew  that  they  were 
safe. 

Then  the  battle  began.  The  Chenoos,  whose 
magic  was  aroused  to  its  greatest  power, 
swelled  to  the  size  of  mountains.  The  tall 
pines  were  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  rocks  were 
hurled,  and  the  fight  was  terrible.  At  last  the 
man  in  the  cave  heard  the  Chenoo  calling : 

* '  My  son-in-law !    Come  and  help  me ! ' ' 

He  climbed  out  of  his  hiding  place,  and  ran 
to  his  friend. 

The  old  Chenoo  was  struggling  upon  the 
ground,  in  the  power  of  his  enemy,  who  was 
trying  to  thrust  her  dragon's  horn  into  his  ear. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOEEST       73 

He  was  moving  his  head  rapidly  from  side  to 
side,  to  prevent  her.  She  was  mocking  him. 

"Your  son-in-law!  You  have  no  son-in-law 
to  help  you.  I  will  take  your  useless  life!  I 
will  eat  your  liver ! ' 9 

Now  the  Indian  was  so  small  beside  these 
giants  that  the  enemy  did  not  see  him  at  all. 

"Thrust  your  horn  into  her  ear,"  the  Chenoo 
called.  With  a  well  aimed  blow  the  man  did 
this.  He  struck  with  all  his  might,  and  the 
point  of  the  horn  entered  her  head.  At  the 
touch  the  magical  weapon  grew.  It  darted 
through  her  head,  and  took  root  in  the  earth. 

"Eaise  the  other  end  of  the  horn,  and  place 
it  against  the  pine  tree,"  the  Chenoo  called. 
The  Indian  did  so,  and  the  horn  coiled  around 
the  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  the  enemy  was  held 
fast. 

Then  the  Indian  and  the  Chenoo  tried  to  kill 
the  foe.  But  it  was  no  easy  task.  The  whole 
body  had  to  be  destroyed,  for  should  the  least 
fragment  remain  unburnt  a  full  grown  Chenoo 
would  spring  from  it,  having  all  the  fierceness 
and  strength  of  the  first. 

At  last  all  of  the  terrible  monster  was  de 
stroyed  except  the  heart,  and  that  was  the  hard 
est  of  all.  The  heart  was  of  ice,  but  of  more 
than  ice,  for  it  was  as  hard  to  melt  as  stone. 
When  they  put  it  into  the  fire,  it  put  the  fire  out. 
Again  and  again  they  were  obliged  to  rekindle 


74        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

it.  But  at  last  the  heart  began  slowly  to  soften ; 
and  then  they  cut  it  into  small  pieces  with  a 
hatchet,  and  melted  it.  And,  at  last,  after  all 
this  labour,  the  terrible  enemy  was  destroyed. 

Now  spring  was  near.  The  Indian  and  his 
wife  and  child  were  soon  to  return  to  their 
home,  and  the  Chenoo,  now  quite  one  of  them, 
said  that  he  would  go  with  them.  They  built 
a  canoe  for  him,  not  of  birch  bark,  like  their 
own,  but  of  moose  skin,  and  placed  in  it  a  part 
of  their  venison,  and  some  skins.  The  Chenoo 
took  his  place  in  the  canoe,  and  followed  as 
they  led  the  way. 

At  first  they  went  down  the  river,  but  soon 
they  came  out  upon  a  broad,  beautiful  lake. 
Suddenly,  they  saw  the  Chenoo  lie  flat  in  the 
canoe,  as  though  to  hide  himself. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  the  trouble !"  they 
asked. 

"I  have  been  seen  by  another  Chenoo,  who 
is  standing  on  the  top  of  that  mountain,"  he 
said.  The  mountain  was  so  far  away  that 
they  could  only  see  the  outline  against  the 
northern  sky. 

"He  has  seen  me/'  he  said,  "but  he  cannot 
see  you.  Should  he  see  me  again,  his  anger 
will  be  roused,  and  he  will  come  to  attack  me. 
Who  would  conquer,  I  do  not  know.  But  I 
prefer  peace." 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       75 

So  the  Chenoo  lay  hidden  in  the  bottom  of 
the  canoe,  and  the  Indians  towed  him  across  the 
lake.  When  they  reached  the  outlet,  and  were 
in  the  river  again,  the  Chenoo  said: 

"I  can  travel  no  farther  by  water.  I  will 
go  by  land." 

They  told  him  where  they  were  planning  to 
encamp  that  night,  and  he  started  off  on  foot 
across  the  mountain  by  a  roundabout  way. 

The  Indians  went  down  the  river  with  the 
spring  freshet,  headlong  with  the  rapids.  But 
when  they  paddled  around  the  point  where  they 
meant  to  pass  the  night,  they  saw  smoke  rising 
from  the  trees.  When  they  landed,  they  saw 
the  Chenoo  sleeping  soundly  by  the  fire,  which 
he  had  built  for  them. 

They  travelled  in  this  way  for  several  days. 
Each  day  they  went  on  with  the  spring  waters ; 
each  night  the  Chenoo  was  before  them  at  the 
encampment.  But  as  they  journeyed  south,  a 
change  began  to  come  over  their  companion. 
He  was  a  creature  of  the  north.  In  ice  and 
snow  he  was  in  his  element;  but  he  could  not 
endure  the  soft  showers  of  summer.  He  grew 
languid  and  feeble,  and  when  they  reached 
their  own  village,  he  was  so  weak  that  he  could 
no  longer  walk.  So  they  carried  him  into  their 
wigwam. 

As  the  days  went  by  the  Chenoo   became 


76         GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

weaker  and  weaker.  The  days  grew  warmer, 
and  then  he  could  no  longer  move  or  speak. 
And  so  he  died.  But  he  did  not  die  a  Chenoo, 
for  by  the  kindness  of  the  Indians  his  heart  of 
ice  had  been  melted,  and  he  had  become  a  human 
being. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  MAGICAL  DANCING  DOLL 

ONCE  there  lived  in  the  forest  an  Indian 
with  his  wife  and  seven  sons.  Every 
day  the  father  and  his  six  older  sons  went  out 
hunting,  and  the  youngest  would  stay  and  help 
his  mother;  for  he  was  too  young  to  go  hunt 
ing  with  the  others. 

The  little  boy's  especial  work  was  to  dry  the 
moccasins  for  his  father  and  brothers.  At 
night,  when  they  came  back  from  the  hunt,  and 
their  moccasins  were  wet  with  snow  water,  the 
little  boy  would  wring  the  water  out  of  each 
one,  and  put  it  near  the  fire.  Then  he  would 
watch  it  until  it  would  be  dry,  and  ready  to 
use  again.  And,  because  he  did  this  work,  they 
began  to  call  him  Noo-je-ke-si-gu-no-da-sit, — the 
Wringer-and-Dryer-of-Moccasins.  So  Nooje- 
kesigunodasit  became  his  name. 

Noojekesigunodasit  was  busy  from  morning 
until  night,  helping  his  mother.  He  would 
have  been  a  happy  child, — but  for  one  thing. 
His  eldest  brother  was  very  cruel  to  him.  He 
would  beat  him  whenever  he  had  the  oppor 
tunity,  and  he  would  take  his  food  away  from 

77 


78        CLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

him;  so  that  many  times  Noojekesigunodasit 
had  to  go  to  bed  hungry,  for  he  dared  not  tell 
his  father.  All  the  other  brothers  were  afraid 
of  the  eldest  one,  too,  so  there  was  no  one  to 
help  him. 

At  last  Noojekesigunodasit  could  bear  the 
ill-treatment  no  longer.  So  he  went  to  his 
mother,  and  said: 

"I  am  going  away.  I  cannot  bear  my 
brother's  cruelty  any  longer.  I  shall  go  far 
out  into  the  world.  So  make  for  me  a  small 
bow  and  arrow  and  thirty  pairs  of  moccasins." 

The  mother  told  no  one  about  the  little  boy's 
plan;  for  she  was  sorry  for  him,  and  she  did 
not  know  how  to  shield  him  from  the  cruel 
brother.  She  made  the  moccasins,  and  the  bow 
and  arrow,  and  gave  them  to  him  with  a  heavy 
heart. 

Then  Noojekesigunodasit  made  a  bundle  of 
the  moccasins,  and  started  early  one  morning, 
just  after  his  father  and  brothers  had  gone 
out  hunting  for  the  day.  He  stood  in  the  door 
of  the  wigwam  and  looked  about  him.  Every 
where  there  were  great,  tall  trees.  He  did  not 
know  any  of  the  trails  that  led  about  the 
forest,  so  he  thought  that  it  would  be  safest 
to  make  his  own  trail. 

Now  this  is  what  Noojekesigunodasit  did. 
He  stood  there  in  the  doorway  and  shot  the 
arrow  straight  ahead.  Then  he  quickly  ran 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        79 

after  it.  He  reached  the  spot  where  the  ar 
row  fell  almost  as  soon  as  it  touched  the 
ground.  Then  he  shot  it  straight  in  front  of 
him  again, — running  as  he  did  so.  This  time 
he  reached  the  place  where  it  was  about  to  fall 
just  in  time  to  catch  it.  The  next  time  he 
found  that  he  could  go  faster  than  the  arrow. 
All  day  long  he  travelled  in  this  way,  and  by 
night  time  he  had  gone  a  long  way. 

When  the  brothers  reached  home  that  night 
Noojekesigunodasit  was  not  waiting  outside 
the  wigwam  as  usual,  and  the  eldest  brother 
said  angrily: 

" Where  is  the  child?  Where  is  Noojeke- 
sigunodasitf " 

"Oh,"  replied  his  mother,  "little  Noojekesi 
gunodasit  could  not  bear  your  cruelty  any 
longer,  and  so  he  has  gone  away.  He  will 
never  come  back  again." 

"Ah,  then!"  said  the  cruel  brother,  "I  will 
pursue  him;  7  will  bring  him  back  again." 

In  the  morning,  early,  the  cruel  brother 
started  in  pursuit  of  Noojekesigunodasit.  He 
travelled  one  hundred  days  upon  his  trail,  and 
then  he  found  the  marks  of  a  fire, — the  first 
fire  that  Noojekesigunodasit  had  made,  and  by 
that  he  knew  that  he  had  only  covered  the  dis 
tance  that  his  brother  had  gone  on  the  first  day. 
And  so  he  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  returned  to 
the  wigwam. 


80        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Little  Noojekesigunodasit  travelled  on, — and 
on, — and  on.  At  last,  one  day,  he  met  a  very 
old  Indian.  The  old  man's  hair  was  long  and 
grey. 

"Whither  away,  my  child;  and  whence  do 
you  comer'  the  old  man  asked  him. 

"I  have  come  a  long,  long  way,"  said  the 
child.  "And  you — where  are  you  from?" 

"You  say,  my  child,  that  you  have  come  a 
long,  long  way!"  replied  the  old  man.  "But  I 
— ah!  The  distance  you  have  travelled  is  noth 
ing  beside  the  long  way  I  have  come,  for  I  was 
a  small  boy  when  I  started  upon  my  journey; 
and  since  that  day  I  have  never  halted; — and 
you  see  that  now  I  am  very  old. ' ' 

"But,  tell  me,"  said  Noojekesigunodasit, 
"where  that  country  is.  I  will  go  to  that  place 
whence  you  came." 

"Ah,  my  child!  You  can  never  reach  that 
country,"  replied  the  old  man. 

"But  I  will  try/'  said  the  boy.  Then  he  hap 
pened  to  look  at  the  old  man's  feet,  and  he 
saw  that  his  moccasins  were  old  and  worn.  He 
quickly  opened  his  bundle  of  moccasins. 

"I  have  many  moccasins,  which  my  mother 
made  for  me.  Take  of  them."  And  Noojeke 
sigunodasit  put  the  pretty  new  moccasins  upon 
the  old  man's  feet.  Then  he  started  along  the 
path  the  old  man  had  just  travelled. 

"Wait,  here  is  a  little  gift  for  you!"  the  old 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        81 

man  called  out.  "Take  this  box;  it  will  help 
you  in  time  of  need." 

So  Noojekesigunodasit  took  the  box  and  put 
it  into  his  beaded  pouch,  which  hung  from 
his  waist;  and  each  started  out  upon  his 
way. 

After  a  while,  Noojekesigunodasit  began  to 
think  about  the  box,  and  he  wondered  what 
might  be  in  it.  He  stopped,  and  took  the  box 
out  of  his  pouch.  It  was  a  little  round  box, 
with  strange  pictures  marked  upon  the  cover, 
and  all  around  the  side.  Noojekesigunodasit 
carefully  opened  it, — and  there,  dancing  away 
as  fast  as  he  could,  was  a  little  mite  of  a  man 
doll! 

'  <  Well !  What  is  it  I  What  is  wanted  ! ' '  the 
doll  asked,  as  he  abruptly  stopped  dancing,  and 
looked  up  at  the  boy. 

Then  Noojekesigunodasit  realised  that  he 
had  been  given  a  Manitoo,  a  magical  being.  He 
knew  that  this  little  doll  was  a  god  from  the 
spirit  world,  and  that  he  would  do  everything 
he  was  told  to  do.  So  Noojekesigunodasit  said 
to  him: 

"I  wish  to  be  taken  to  the  country  from 
which  the  old  man  came." 

4  *  Well,  I  will  do  that  for  you,"  the  doll  an 
swered. 

Suddenly,  Noojekesigunodasit 's  head  began 
to  swim,  and  everything  grew  black  about  him. 


82        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

When  lie  became  conscious  again,  lie  found  that 
he  had  been  changed  into  a  young  man,  and 
that  he  was  near  a  large  Indian  village.  And 
now  he  knew  this  to  be  the  country  from  which 
the  old  man  had  come.  He  went  at  once  into 
the  first  wigwam  he  came  to,  for  this  is  what 
all  Indians  do  when  they  are  in  a  strange  place. 
There  was  an  old  woman  in  the  wigwam,  all 
alone.  She  asked  the  stranger  to  the  seat  of 
honour,  and  then  she  began  to  cry. 

"Why  do  you  weep,  Noogumee,  grand 
mother?"  he  asked  her. 

"I  weep  because  you  are  here,"  the  old 
woman  answered.  "Every  young  brave  who 
comes  seeking  the  chief's  daughter  is  put  to 
death,  and  you  will  be,  too.  The  chief  will 
seem  willing  for  you  to  marry  his  daughter, 
but  he  will  ask  you  to  do  some  task  so  difficult 
that  you  will  lose  your  life." 

"Never  mind, — I  am  not  afraid  of  the  chief, " 
Noojekesigunodasit  said.  "I  will  marry  one 
of  his  daughters,  and  he  will  not  be  able  to  kill 
me." 

In  a  little  while  the  word  went  around  the 
village  that  a  young  brave  had  come  from  some 
far  country,  and  that  he  wanted  to  marry  one 
of  the  daughters  of  the  chief.  When  the  chief 
heard  of  this,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Noojeke 
sigunodasit. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        83 

"The  chief  will  speak  to  you  in  his  wigwam," 
he  said. 

Noojekesigunodasit  looked  quietly  at  the 
messenger. 

"Tell  him  I  will  not  go,"  he  said  at  last. 

Now  all  of  the  Indians  were  very  much 
afraid  of  the  chief,  and  when  they  heard  that 
this  strange  young  brave  returned  such  a  mes 
sage,  they  said  to  one  another: 

"This  must  be  some  great  brave!  He  must 
be  even  greater  than  the  chief,  because  he  is 
not  afraid."  And  they  went  to  the  chief,  and 
told  him  that  some  powerful  brave  was  in  their 
village.  This  time  the  chief  sent  a  very  polite 
message.  He  said: 

"Will  the  young  brave  do  me  such  great 
honour  as  to  visit  my  lodge!" 

Then  Noojekesigunodasit  visited  the  chief, 
and  the  chief  told  him  after  a  while  that  he 
might  marry  his  oldest  daughter. 

"But  there  is  one  little  favour  I  would  ask 
of  you,"  he  said.  "It  is  just  a  little  thing, — 
just  to  remove  a  troublesome  object — a  small 
nuisance.  It  hinders  me  from  seeing  the  sun 
rise  in  the  morning. ' ' 

"And  what  is  that!"  Noojekesigunodasit 
asked. 

"Oh,  it  is  only  a  small  nuisance,"  the  chief 
repeated.  "It  is  that  granite  mountain  out 
there.  I  want  to  see  a  broad,  level,  green  field, 


84        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

when  I  come  to  the  door  of  my  wigwam  in  the 
morning." 

'  *  Oh,  certainly,  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  that  for 
you."  Noojekesigunodasit  said  this  as  though 
it  were  as  easy  for  him  to  remove  the  granite 
mountain  as  it  would  be  to  pick  up  a  bit  of 
wood  from  the  ground. 

Well,  that  night,  when  every  one  in  the  vil 
lage  was  asleep,  Noojekesigunodasit  went 
quietly  to  the  door  of  the  wigwam  and  pushed 
aside  the  skins.  He  stole  softly  to  the  entrance 
of  the  village,  and  then  took  out  the  little  box 
that  the  old  man  had  given  him.  When  he 
opened  the  box,  the  doll  stopped  his  dancing 
and  asked: 

"What  do  you  want  of  me  now?" 

' 1 1  want  you  to  level  down  that  granite  moun 
tain,"  said  Noojekesigunodasit;  "and  I  want 
you  to  have  it  done  before  morning." 

"All  right,  I  will  have  it  done  before  morn 
ing,"  and  the  magical  doll  went  on  with  his 
dancing. 

Noojekesigunodasit  closed  the  little  box  and 
lay  down  to  sleep.  All  night  long  he  could 
hear  the  sound  of  the  labourers  at  their  work. 
There  was  pounding  and  tramping  and  shout 
ing  and  shovelling ;  such  noises  as  he  had  never 
heard  before!  And  when  he  awoke, — the 
whole  mountain  had  been  taken  away! 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        85 

When  the  chief  awoke  he  went  to  the  door 
of  the  wigwam,  and  drew  aside  the  blanket, 
and  looked  to  the  east.  There,  before  him,  was 
a  green,  level  field.  The  high  mountain  had 
disappeared. 

"This  brave  has  greater  magical  power  than 
I.  He  shall  be  my  son-in-law, ' '  he  cried.  ' '  Go 
call  him,  and  tell  him  to  come  to  me." 

This  time  Noojekesigunodasit  obeyed.  He 
went  to  the  chief.  But  the  old  man  was  crafty ; 
and  he  was  not  to  be  easily  beaten.  He  had 
another  task  ready  for  Noojekesigunodasit. 
It  happened  that  he  was  at  war  with  a  power 
ful  tribe  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  he  thought 
that  if  he  could  use  this  strange  young  brave 
in  the  war,  he  might  perhaps  succeed  in  getting 
him  killed.  So  he  said: 

"I  wish  to  take  the  village  of  the  enemy  by 
surprise  and  destroy  it. ' ' 

"All  right,"  said  Noojekesigunodasit.  "I 
will  go  with  you.  Get  your  warriors  together, 
and  we  will  start  out  to-morrow." 

The  chief  prepared  for  a  start  early  in  the 
morning;  but  in  the  night  Noojekesigunodasit 
set  out  alone,  and  walked  until  he  came  within 
sight  of  the  village  of  the  enemy.  Then  he 
stopped  and  took  out  his  magical  box  and 
opened  it.  The  little  doll  was  dancing  away  as 
fast  as  ever;  but  when  he  saw  the  light  he 
stopped. 


86        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Well!  What  is  it?  What  do  you  want  of 
me?"  he  asked. 

"I  want  you  to  destroy  this  village;  and  you 
must  have  it  done  before  morning." 

"All  right.  I  will  have  it  done  before  morn 
ing."  ^ 

Noojekesigunodasit  wrapped  himself  in  his 
blanket,  and  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  sleep. 
When  morning  was  breaking,  he  awoke,  and 
went  to  look  at  the  village.  All  was  silent. 
Every  one, — men,  women,  and  children, — had 
been  carried  away  by  the  magical  dancing  doll, 
and  the  village  was  destroyed. 

Noojekesigunodasit  now  started  back,  but  he 
had  gone  only  a  short  distance,  when  he  met 
the  chief  and  all  his  warriors  coming  on  to  sur 
prise  the  enemy.  They  all  stopped  when  they 
saw  him. 

"There  is  nothing  more  for  you  to  do,"  he 
said;  "for  I  have  destroyed  the  village,  and 
all  the  people  have  been  carried  away." 

The  chief  sent  men  to  the  place  to  find 
whether  the  story  were  true.  They  soon  came 
back  and  reported  that  it  was  just  as  Noojeke 
sigunodasit  had  said.  All  the  people  had  gone, 
and  the  village  was  destroyed. 

The  chief  did  not  yet  know  the  young  brave's 
name;  so  he  asked: 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"My  name  is  Noojekesigunodasit,"  he  said. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       87 

The  chief  was  surprised  to  find  so  powerful 
a  young  brave  with  so  common  a  name ;  but  he 
was  ready  to  fulfil  his  promise,  and  give  him 
one  of  his  daughters  for  his  wife. 

So  Noojekesigunodasit  married  the  chief's 
youngest  daughter,  and  built  him  a  large  and 
beautiful  lodge,  and  took  his  wife  there  to  live ; 
and  they  had  a  servant  to  wait  upon  them. 
But  he  himself  joined  the  hunters. 

All  went  well  for  a  time,  but  alas!  One  day 
Noojekesigunodasit  went  away,  and  carelessly 
left  his  pouch  with  the  little  box  in  it.  Now 
it  happened  that  the  servant  had  for  a  long 
time  been  curious  to  know  the  secret  of  his 
master's  power.  He  saw  the  beaded  pouch, 
and  thought  that  this  might  hold  the  secret. 
He  opened  it,  and  there  he  found  the  little 
box. 

1 '  Hello ! "  he  cried ; l  '  what  is  this  1"  He  took 
out  the  box,  and  lifted  the  cover.  There  he  saw 
the  magical  doll,  dancing  furiously. 

"Well!  What  is  it?  What  do  you  want  of 
me?"  asked  the  doll  as  he  stopped  dancing. 

At  once  the  servant  understood.  Here  was 
a  god  who  could  do  everything  one  asked  him 
to  do ;  he  could  work  all  wonders.  This  was  a 
chance  not  to  be  lost. 

"I  wish  this  wigwam  and  everything  there 
is  in  it  to  be  moved  to  some  place  where  no  one 
can  find  it,"  he  said. 


88        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"All  right,"  said  the  little  dancing  doll,  "I 
will  do  it  for  you. ' ' 

Instantly  the  man's  head  grew  dizzy,  and 
he  seemed  to  faint.  When  he  became  conscious 
again,  he  found  himself  and  the  mistress  and 
the  wigwam,  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  sur 
rounded  on  every  side  by  water.  Of  course, 
everything  belonged  to  him  now.  He  became 
lord  and  master  of  all  the  place. 

That  night  Noojekesigunodasit  came  home, 
and  found  that  his  wigwam,  his  wife,  his  serv 
ant,  his  magical  box, — all  were  gone.  At  first 
he  was  bewildered,  and  did  not  know  what  to 
do.  But,  at  last,  he  remembered  that  he  still 
had  his  magical  bow  and  arrow.  He  shot  out 
the  arrow  and  followed  after,  just  as  when  he 
had  set  out  from  home. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  discovered  the  hid 
den  wigwam ;  but  how  to  get  it  back  he  did  not 
know.  He  waited  until  the  servant  was  asleep, 
and  then  he  crept  up  stealthily  and  looked  in. 
He  drew  aside  the  skins  in  the  doorway,  and 
motioned  to  his  wife  to  get  the  beaded  pouch 
for  him. 

The  wife  crept  to  the  sleeping  servant,  and 
tried  to  draw  the  beaded  pouch  from  under  his 
head.  The  servant  moved  uneasily  in  his  sleep, 
and  she  waited  until  he  was  quiet  again. 
Again  she  tried  to  draw  the  beaded  pouch 
away,  and  again  the  servant  stirred  in  his  sleep. 


.WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        89 

But  at  last  she  had  the  pouch  in  her  hand, 
and  stole  over  to  the  door  to  Noojekesiguno- 
dasit.  He  found  the  little  round  box  and  opened 
it,  and  there  was  the  magical  dancing  doll,  as 
ever,  dancing  and  dancing  away. 

1 '  Well  f  What  is  it  ?  What  is  it  now  ! ' '  said 
the  magical  dancing  doll. 

4 'Take  us  back  to  our  own  village,  and  place 
the  wigwam  just  as  it  was  before,"  Noojeke- 
sigunodasit  said.  And  soon  they  were  all  back 
in  their  own  home  again.  But  the  servant  was 
punished  for  his  wickedness.  For  Noojeke- 
sigunodasit  had  him  put  to  death,  and  had  a 
blanket  made  of  his  skin  to  hang  before  the 
door  of  the  wigwam,  to  show  all  people  the 
punishment  of  such  a  wicked  servant. 

Now  the  old  chief  could  never  be  satisfied  to 
think  that  the  young  stranger  had  been  stronger 
than  he  in  magical  power.  So  he  tried  once 
more,  and  for  the  last  time,  to  destroy  him. 
One  day,  he  said  quietly  to  Noojekesigunoda- 
sit: 

"I  want  you  to  bring  me  the  head  of  a 
chepechcalm  for  my  dinner."  Now  the  che- 
pechcalm  was  a  terrible  monster,  a  dragon.  He 
gave  magical  power  to  all  the  medicine  men, 
and  the  chief  himself  was  a  medicine  man.  And 
so  he  thought  that  the  chepechcalm  would  put 
an  end  to  Noojekesigunodasit. 


90        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"All  right,"  said  Noojekesigunodasit.  "I 
will  get  it  for  you." 

He  went  outside  the  village,  and  took  out 
his  magical  box,  and  said  to  the  dancing  doll: 

"I  wish  you  to  bring  a  chepechcalm  to  the 
village." 

Soon  a  chepechcalm  was  seen  coming  toward 
the  village.  All  the  inhabitants  screamed  and 
fled  in  every  direction — all,  except  Noojekesi 
gunodasit.  He  went  boldly  out  to  meet  the 
dragon,  and  gave  him  battle.  The  fight  was 
long  and  furious,  but  at  last  Noojekesigunodasit 
won,  and  cut  the  dragon's  head  from  his  body, 
and  carried  it  to  the  old  chief's  wigwam  and 
tossed  it  inside  the  door.  The  old  man  was 
alone.  He  was  weak  and  exhausted,  and  nearly 
bent  double.  And  when  he  saw  that  the  dra 
gon  was  dead,  and  that  now  all  his  own  magic 
was  gone,  and  that  Noojekesigunodasit  was 
still  alive,  he  fell  down  and  died. 

Noojekesigunodasit  then  became  the  chief; 
and  from  that  day  the  people  had  plenty.  No 
famine  or  sickness  ever  visited  them,  for  Noo 
jekesigunodasit  and  his  magical  dancing  doll 
kept  all  evil  away  from  them. 

And  Jcespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  MAGICAL  HAIR  STEING 

THERE  was  once  a  large  Indian  encamp 
ment  on  the  border  of  a  forest.  On  the 
outskirts  of  this  village  there  lived  two  old 
people.  They  had  two  children,  both  of  whom 
were  daughters.  They  were  fair  and  beautiful ; 
but  they  were  so  shy  that  they  would  not  allow 
themselves  to  be  seen  by  any  one,  and  they 
would  marry  no  one. 

Now  the  chief  of  the  village  had  a  fine  look 
ing  son,  who  knew  of  these  two  beautiful  girls, 
and  wished  to  marry  one  of  them.  He  told 
his  father  and  some  of  his  friends  about  his 
wish,  and  they  went  to  the  wigwam  where  the 
maidens  lived,  to  see  what  could  be  done.  The 
beautiful  maidens  were  nowhere  to  be  seen,  for 
they  kept  themselves  behind  a  screen  out  of 
sight. 

The  evening  passed  merrily;  they  feasted 
and  played  games.  At  last  the  old  chief  said: 

"My  son  is  tired  of  living  alone." 

The  father  said  that  he  must  wait  until  the 
next  day  before  he  could  give  the  chief  an  an 
swer. 

When  the  visitors  had  gone,  the  father  said : 

91 


92        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"My  daughters,  the  chief's  son  is  tired  of 
living  alone."  But  neither  of  the  daughters 
was  willing  to  be  married,  so  the  father  sent 
word  to  the  chief  that  there  would  be  no  wed 
ding. 

Now  it  happened  that  there  lived  in  the  vil 
lage  an  ill-looking  fellow,  who  was  stupid  be 
sides,  and  clumsy  at  any  kind  of  work.  When 
he  heard  that  the  young  chief  had  been  refused, 
he  said  with  a  laugh : 

"I  could  get  one  of  those  girls  if  I  wished." 

Some  of  his  companions,  who  heard  him, 
said: 

"Let  us  go  to  the  wigwam  of  the  maidens 
this  evening." 

So,  just  as  the  old  people  and  their  daughters 
were  beginning  the  evening  meal,  the  young 
braves  slipped  into  the  wigwam.  The  maidens 
had  no  time  to  hide  behind  their  screen.  So 
for  once  they  must  be  looked  at. 

The  father  asked  the  braves  to  stay,  and 
after  eating,  they  played  games  until  late  in 
the  evening;  but  not  one  word  was  said  about 
the  proposed  marriage.  When  the  young 
braves  came  away,  the  others  laughed  at  their 
stupid  companion  for  his  lack  of  courage. 

Time  passed,  and  the  ill-favoured  young 
brave  went  one  day  into  the  forest.  As  he 
walked  along  he  met  an  old  woman,  wrinkled 
and  bent.  Her  hair  was  adorned  with  a  great 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        93 

many     hair-strings,     which    hung     over     her 
shoulders,  and  trailed  down  to  her  feet. 

" Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked  the 
young  brave. 

" Nowhere  in  particular,"  he  answered. 
"And  where  are  you  from,  grandmother?" 

"I  have  not  come  far,"  she  said,  "but  look 
you  here!  Are  you  anxious  to  marry  one  of 
those  beautiful  maidens?" 

"Oh,  by  no  means,"  he  said. 

"But  I  can  help  you,"  said  the  old  woman. 
"I  can  tell  you  how  to  win  one.  All  you  have 
to  do  is  to  say  the  word." 

"How  must  I  go  about  it?"  asked  the  young 
brave. 

"Take  this,"  she  said,  handing  him  one  of 
her  hair-strings;  "it  has  magical  power.  Eoll 
it  up  and  carry  it  in  your  pouch  for  a  time. 
Then,  when  you  have  a  chance,  you  must  throw 
it  upon  the  young  woman's  back.  But  take  care 
that  she  does  not  see  you  do  it,  and  that  no 
one  knows  about  it  but  yourself." 

So  the  young  brave  took  the  hair-string,  and 
did  as  the  old  woman  directed.  He  went  once 
more,  with  a  few  of  his  comrades,  to  the  wig 
wam  of  the  beautiful  maidens.  They  slipped 
in  suddenly  as  before,  just  at  the  beginning  of 
the  evening  meal,  and  the  beautiful  maidens  had 
no  time  to  conceal  themselves  behind  their 
screen. 


94        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

All  the  time  the  young  brave  was  watching 
for  an  opportunity  to  use  the  magical  hair- 
string.  And,  at  last,  when  no  one  was  look 
ing,  he  contrived  to  throw  it  upon  the  back  of 
one  of  the  maidens.  He  said  nothing  to  her, 
and  soon  after  this  the  young  braves  went 
away. 

The  next  day  the  Indian  was  walking  alone 
in  the  forest,  and  he  saw,  coming  toward  him, 
the  maiden  whom  he  had  charmed  with  the 
magical  hair-string. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked  shyly. 

"I  am  going  hunting,"  he  said.  "But 
whence  have  you  come?  And  what  are  you 
doing  out  here  all  alone?  Are  you  lost?" 

"Oh,  no!    I  am  not  lost,"  she  replied. 

"You  had  better  go  back  to  your  wigwam," 
he  said,  "and  I  will  go  with  you,  and  tell  your 
parents  that  I  found  you  wandering  in  the 
woods,  not  knowing  the  way  home." 

When  they  reached  the  wigwam,  the  father 
of  the  beautiful  maiden  said : 

"Would  you  like  to  have  my  daughter  for 
your  wife?" 

"I  would,"  he  answered,  "for  I  am  tired  of 
living  alone." 

And  so  they  were  married.  The  magical 
hair-string  had  won  the  beautiful  maiden  for 
the  awkward,  blundering  young  brave. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  CHILDREN  AND  THE  LOON 
MAGICIAN 

ONCE  upon  a  time  a  little  Indian  boy  and 
girl  lived  with  their  parents  beside  a 
large  lake.  They  were  always  playing  to 
gether  ;  but  they  loved  best  of  all  to  play  on  the 
shore  beside  the  water. 

One  day  the  two  children  went  fishing,  and 
the  boy  said: 

"Can  you  tell  what  kind  of  fish  I  catch !" 

"Of  course  I  can,"  the  sister  replied. 

"What  is  this  then?"  he  asked,  holding  up  a 
fish,  but  quickly  throwing  it  into  the  water 
again,  before  she  could  see  it.  "There,  there," 
he  said,  "I  knew  that  you  could  not  tell  what 
kind  of  fish  I  catch!" 

Soon  after  this  the  sister  caught  a  fish  and 
held  it  up. 

"Do  you  know  what  this  is,  my  brother?"  she 
asked. 

"It  is  a  trout,"  he  said. 

"No,  no,  it  is  not,"  she  answered.  "It  is  a 
Takooonow — there!  After  all  your  crowing 
I  have  beaten  you." 

95 


96        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

They  laughed,  and  kept  on  with  their  fishing, 
walking  along  the  shore.  By  and  by  they  heard 
a  Loon  crying  in  the  distance. 

" There  is  a  Kwemoo  crying,"  the  little  girl 
said.  "It  makes  me  feel  lonely.  Let  us  go 
home."  So  they  went  home,  carrying  their 
fish ;  and  their  mother  cooked  it  for  them. 

The  next  day  the  children  built  a  little  play 
house  on  the  shore.  They  spent  hours  play 
ing  there  together.  When  people  passed  they 
would  see  the  children  talking  earnestly  to 
gether,  and  they  would  say: 

"What  queer  little  children!" 

One  day  the  brother  said : 

"I  will  make  you  a  beautiful  robe,  my  sister." 

So  he  gathered  a  great  many  leaves,  red  and 
yellow  ones,  and  made  her  a  bright,  glistening 
robe.  The  little  girl  put  it  on,  and  then  the 
two  went  down  to  the  shore  of  the  lake.  Very 
soon  they  heard  a  Loon  calling,  and  the  brother 
said: 

"I  will  hide;  but  you  walk  back  and  forth 
along  the  shore.  The  Loon  will  see  you,  and 
perhaps  he  will  come  and  talk  with  you." 

The  little  sister  walked  along  the  shore  in 
her  bright  robe,  and  soon  the  Loon  saw  her 
and  came  to  where  she  was  standing. 

' '  NiksJcamich — grandfather, ' '  she  said ; 
"where  have  you  come  from?" 


.WONDER  TALES  OP  THE  FOREST   97 

"Oh,  from  nowhere  in  particular, "  the  Loon 
replied. 

Then  the  sister  ran  to  where  her  brother  was 
hiding  and  he  walked  down  to  the  water  be 
hind  her,  so  that  the  Loon  would  not  see  him. 
He  spoke  to  the  Loon  and  soon  the  three  talked 
together  without  any  fear. 

"My  children, "  the  Loon  asked,  "do  you 
want  any  thing  1" 

"No,  grandfather,"  they  said,  "we  do  not 
need  anything." 

"Listen  to  me,  my  children,"  the  Loon  said, 
"and  I  will  give  you  power  more  than  most 
Indians  have." 

The  children  went  home  then,  but  ever  after 
that  day,  whenever  the  maiden  heard  the  Loon 
calling,  she  felt  lonely,  and  she  would  sit  a 
long  time  in  one  place  as  though  in  deep 
thought.  Very  often  the  Loon  came  to  the 
brother  and  sister,  when  they  were  on  the 
shore;  but  he  never  went  to  them  if  any  one 
else  were  with  them. 

One  day  the  Loon  said: 

"Your  village  is  to  be  destroyed  in  a  few 
days.  A  terrible  Kookwes  is  on  the  way  here. 
Tell  your  parents  to  move  down  to  the  shore; 
and  when  you  hear  the  Kookwes  coming,  go 
into  the  water  and  hide  there  until  he  goes 
away." 


98        GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  children  went  home,  and  found  their 
parents  in  the  lodge. 

"My  father/'  the  son  said,  "a  terrible 
Kookwes  is  coming  to  attack  us,  and  destroy 
the  town,  and  he  is  on  the  way." 

"Who  told  you  so!"  the  father  asked. 

"Kwemoo  told  us,"  the  boy  said.  "And  he 
said  you  must  move  down  to  the  shore,  and 
when  we  hear  the  Kookwes  coming,  we  must 
run  into  the  water  and  hide  there." 

"If  Kwemoo  told  you  so,  it  must  be  true," 
said  the  old  man.  "We  must  go  at  once." 

W^hen  the  other  Indians  saw  them  moving, 
they  asked: 

"Why  do  you  move  your  lodge?"  The 
father  told  them  that  a  Kookwes  was  coming. 

"Who  told  you  so?"  they  asked. 

"The  Loon  told  my  little  boy  so,"  said  the 
father. 

"Pooh!  Your  son  is  not  much,  and  the 
Loon  is  nothing.  We  will  not  go!"  they  an 
swered. 

But  the  two  children  and  their  parents  went 
down  to  the  shore,  and  walked  along  until  they 
heard  the  Loon  call  three  times,  and  then  they 
stopped  and  built  a  lodge. 

The  next  day  the  Loon  came  to  the  children 
when  they  were  alone. 

"The  Kookwes  will  reach  your  village  to 
morrow  night,"  he  said. 


.WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST        99 

The  next  night,  sure  enough,  they  heard  the 
great  shout  of  the  giant,  as  he  rushed  into  the 
village.  They  hid  in  the  lake  until  morning,  as 
the  Loon  had  told  them  to  do.  They  could  hear 
the  screams  and  the  noise  while  the  terrible 
giant  was  destroying  the  village. 

After  the  village  was  destroyed,  and  the  giant 
had  gone  away,  they  went  back  to  where  their 
old  home  had  been.  But  they  liked  the  new 
lodge  so  much  better,  that  they  never  moved 
back  to  the  village. 

Day  by  day  the  two  children  and  the  Loon 
were  together  on  the  rocks  by  the  lake.  The 
Loon  taught  the  boy  how  to  be  a  swift  runner ; 
and  how  to  walk  on  the  water  as  the  Loons  do ; 
and  then  he  taught  him  how  to  fly  in  the  air, 
so  that  he  could  hunt  in  all  these  ways.  Then 
the  Loon  said: 

"Now  your  family  will  never  be  in  want  of 
food;  but,  if  you  should  ever  need  my  help,  I 
will  come  to  you." 

Now,  years  had  passed  away,  since  the  day 
when  the  little  Indian  girl  had  walked  on  the 
shore  in  her  robe  of  bright  leaves.  She  was 
now  a  beautiful  maiden.  She  was  alone  one 
day  by  the  water,  when  the  Loon  came  to  her, 
and  asked  her  to  be  his  wife. 

"Mogwaa — no,"  she  said. 

But  when  she  went  home,  she  told  her  mother 
what  the  Loon  had  said. 


100      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Kwemoo  wants  me  to  be  his  wife,"  she  said. 

"Kwemoo  would  be  a  very  kind  husband  to 
you,"  the  mother  replied. 

So  they  were  married;  but  Kwemoo  never 
went  to  her  father's  lodge.  The  two  spent 
their  days  together  on  the  shore.  One  day 
Kwemoo  said: 

'  '  Some  men  are  coming  in  a  canoe ;  they  will 
hunt  me. ' ' 

"Hide  behind  the  large  rock  until  they  go 
away, ' '  his  wife  said. 

The  next  day  the  two  men  came  in  a  canoe. 
They  visited  a  few  days  with  the  family,  and 
then  urged  them  to  return  to  their  village  for 
a  visit.  But  the  Loon  said: 

"Your  parents  and  your  brother  may  go  if 
they  choose,  but  do  you  stay  with  me." 

So  she  stayed. 

The  others  went  with  the  strangers,  who 
made  a  time  of  feasting  and  games  for  them. 
The  young  brave,  because  he  had  been  taught 
by  the  Loon,  won  all  the  games.  He  could  out 
run  them  all;  he  could  hunt  better  than  any 
one;  and  so  he  soon  became  hated  by  all  the 
braves  of  the  village. 

"Let  us  destroy  him,"  they  said.  And  they 
determined  to  kill  him  the  next  night. 

But  that  night  the  young  brave  heard  the 
voice  of  the  friendly  Loon,  and  he  knew  that 
he  was  in  danger.  He  went  to  his  parents. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       101 

"Let  us  hasten  from  here,"  he  said;  "we  are 
in  danger.  The  Loon  has  just  warned  me." 

So  the  three  stole  out  of  the  village  in  the 
night,  and  were  far  away  when  it  was  found 
that  they  had  escaped. 

Soon  after  they  returned  home,  the  father 
and  mother  died;  and  the  brother  and  sister 
and  Kwemoo  lived  together  by  the  beautiful 
lake. 

"I  will  do  all  for  you  in  my  power,  for  seven 
years,"  the  Loon  said.  "Then  I  must  leave 
you,  and  return  to  my  own  people." 

Kwemoo  kept  his  word.  For  seven  years 
they  lived  a  quiet,  happy  life.  It  was  so  beau 
tiful  there  that  the  wife  wished  to  stay  in  that 
one  place,  and  not  move  from  place  to  place. 
So  they  stayed  until  the  seven  years  came  to 
an  end,  and  then  the  Loon  said : 

"I  must  leave  you  now  and  go  to  my  own 
people." 

So  he  went  back  to  his  own  people,  and  the 
brother  and  sister  were  left  alone  by  the  lake. 
The  third  day  after  he  had  gone  away,  the 
sister  said: 

"I  feel  sad  and  lonely."  She  went  down  to 
the  water,  and  sat  on  a  rock,  and  looked  across 
the  lake. 

In  a  little  while  some  one  touched  her  arm. 
She  looked  up,  and  there  beside  her  was  her 
husband, — Kwemoo. 


102      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"All  of  these  days,"  he  said,  "I  could  not 
keep  the  thought  of  you  out  of  my  mind.  So 
I  have  left  my  own  people,  and  I  have  come  to 
you." 

And  kespeadooJcsit — the  story  ends. 


MIMKUDAWOGOOSK  THE  MOOSEWOOD 
MAN 

ONCE  upon  a  time  an  Indian  maiden 
dwelt  alone  in  a  large  forest.  She  was 
often  very  lonely,  and  wished  that  she  had  a 
brother  or  a  sister  to  live  with  her. 

One  day,  when  she  was  gathering  fuel,  she 
found  a  long,  slim  branch  from  the  Mimkuda- 
wok  tree,  and  carried  it  home  with  her.  She 
left  it  leaning  against  the  wigwam,  outside  the 
door.  That  night  she  heard  a  human  voice 
crying : 

"Numees,  my  sister,  I  am  cold!  Oh,  I  am 
very  cold!" 

"  'Nsees,  my  brother,  if  you  are  cold,"  she 
called  back,  "why  do  you  not  come  in  and  warm 
your  self !" 

"I  cannot  come  in,  for  I  am  not  clothed," 
called  back  the  voice. 

"Wait,  then,  and  I  will  put  out  some  cloth 
ing  for  you,"  she  answered. 

The  maiden  quickly  took  some  blankets  and 
threw  them  outside,  and  went  back  to  her  work. 

Presently  in  walked  a  fine  looking  young 
brave,  who  at  once  took  his  seat  where  a 

103 


104      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

brother  would  sit  in  the  wigwam.  Then  she 
kney?  that  the  branch  from  the  moosewood  tree 
she  had  left  standing  by  the  door  had  been 
transformed  into  this  brave,  who  was  sitting 
in  the  brother's  place.  She  would  not  be  alone 
any  longer !  She  would  have  some  one  to  care 
for  her! 

The  young  brave  was  very  kind  and  good, 
and  he  was  a  great  hunter.  So  the  maiden  had 
plenty  of  food,  and  no  longer  needed  to  go  out 
into  the  forest.  She  named  her  brother  Mimku- 
dawogoosk,  because  he  had  sprung  from  a 
moosewood  tree.  They  were  happy  together, 
but  still  the  maiden  was  not  satisfied.  She  was 
still  lonely. 

"I  am  lonely,"  she  said,  "when  you  are 
away ;  I  wish  that  you  would  bring  me  a  sister- 
in-law." 

"That  is  well,  my  sister,  but  where  shall  I 
seek  a  wife?"  Mimkudawogoosk  said. 

"I  know  the  way;  and  if  you  do  just  as  I  tell 
you,  you  will  find  the  maiden,"  the  sister  said. 
"Follow  the  trail  through  the  forest,  and  at 
length  you  will  reach  a  high  mountain.  Then 
follow  the  trail  over  the  mountain.  On  the 
way,  you  will  come  upon  giant  serpents.  Do 
not  battle  with  them,  or  notice  them  in  any  way. 
But  use  your  bow  as  a  leaping  pole.  It  has 
magical  power,  and  it  will  help  you  to  leap 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      105 

over  the  giant  serpents,  and  over  every  other 
danger  on  the  way.  When  you  have  crossed 
the  mountain,  you  will  come  to  another  forest. 
Follow  the  trail,  and  you  will  come  to  a  wide 
river  that  flows  through  a  broad  plain.  Follow 
the  river  through  the  plain  and  it  will  lead  you 
to  the  village  where  lives  the  maiden,  whom  I 
would  have  you  seek  for  your  wife.  When 
you  reach  the  village,  do  not  go  into  the  finest 
wigwam,  but  seek  out  the  poorest.  There  an 
Indian  lives  with  many  beautiful  daughters. 
The  youngest  is  the  fairest.  Wed  her." 

Mimkudawogoosk  started  upon  his  journey. 
He  had  travelled  a  few  days,  when  one  morning, 
in  the  forest,  he  heard  his  sister  singing.  She 
had  become  lonely  without  him,  and  had  set 
out  to  follow  him.  To  give  him  warning  that 
she  was  coming,  she  sang  as  she  went  along; 
it  was  a  magical  song,  and  he  heard  her  al 
though  far  away. 

"Keturn  to  your  wigwam — do  not  follow  me 
—  do  not  follow  me !"  he  sang  back  to  her.  So 
she  went  back  to  the  wigwam. 

Mimkudawogoosk  went  on,  until  he  came  to 
the  mountain.  He  was  climbing  over  a  narrow, 
rocky  way,  when  just  before  him,  he  saw  the 
giant  serpents.  He  quickly  held  his  bow  like 
a  leaping  pole,  and  made  a  great  leap.  The 
bow  carried  him  safely  over,  and  he  landed  far 


106      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

beyond  the  giant  serpents.  Then  he  went  down 
the  mountain,  and  whenever  he  came  to  any 
difficult  place,  the  bow  helped  him  leap  safely 
over. 

At  last  Mimkudawogoosk  reached  the  great 
forest,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  forest  he 
came  to  the  wide  river,  flowing  through  the 
broad,  green  plain.  He  followed  the  river  un 
til  he  reached  the  Indian  village.  Everything 
had  happened  just  as  his  sister  had  said.  And 
now  he  remembered  this,  and  set  out  to  find 
the  poorest  looking  wigwam.  There,  as  he  ex 
pected,  he  found  a  group  of  pretty  girls.  The 
youngest  was  the  most  beautiful.  Mimkuda 
wogoosk  went  to  her,  and  took  a  seat  by  her 
side.  She  remained  seated.  This  meant  that 
she  was  willing  to  be  his  wife.  And  as  the 
parents  were  content  that  it  should  be  so,  they 
were  married. 

The  beauty  of  the  Moosewood  Man's  face,  and 
his  manly  bearing  had  won  the  heart  of  the 
maiden,  and  the  good  will  of  her  father;  but 
all  the  young  men  in  the  village  were  very 
angry,  for  the  maiden  had  many  suitors  among 
them,  who  had  tried  to  win  her,  and  now  to  see 
her  so  easily  won  by  a  stranger  was  hard  to 
bear.  They  all  determined  to  kill  him  at  the 
very  first  chance. 

One  day  Mimkudawogoosk 's  father-in-law 
said,  "I  would  like  my  son-in-law  to  try  his 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      107 

hand  at  hunting.  And  when  you  return  suc 
cessful  there  will  be  a  great  feast  in  honour  of 
the  marriage. " 

So  Mimkudawogoosk  took  his  wife  and  set 
out  in  his  father-in-law 's  canoe.  He  pushed  up 
the  river  to  the  hunting  ground,  as  he  was  told. 
They  landed  and  made  a  hut,  and  then  Mim 
kudawogoosk  went  to  work  in  good  earnest. 

Now  Mimkudawogoosk,  as  we  know,  was  a 
mighty  hunter,  and  it  was  not  many  days  before 
he  had  a  great  amount  of  venison  and  fur,  and 
was  ready  to  start  homeward.  This  was  just 
what  the  young  men  of  the  village  were  waiting 
for,  for  they  had  laid  a  plot  to  kill  him  on  his 
way.  A  band  of  those  who  were  clever  at  mag 
ical  arts  followed  him  until  they  came  to  the 
place  where  he  had  built  his  hut.  Then  they 
did  not  know  what  to  do  next ;  they  feared  to  at 
tack  him  openly,  and  in  magic  they  suspected 
that  he  must  be  more  than  a  match  for  them. 
So  the  cleverest  of  them  all  transformed  him 
self  into  a  mouse,  and  hid  in  the  blanket  of  Mim 
kudawogoosk  ?s  bed,  thinking  that  when  the 
Moosewood  Man  fell  asleep,  he  could  give  him 
a  fatal  blow. 

But  Mimkudawogoosk  knew  all  the  time  what 
was  going  on,  and  when  the  mouse  crept  into 
the  blanket  he  was  quietly  waiting  for  him. 
As  soon  as  the  mouse  touched  him,  Mimkudawo 
goosk  caught  him  under  his  knee  and  began  to 


108      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

squeeze  him.  The  mouse,  finding  himself  being 
squeezed  to  death,  cried  out  as  loud  as  he  could. 
The  noise  awakened  the  wife;  and  when  she 
saw  that  something  was  being  crushed  under 
Mimkudawogoosk 's  leg  she  tried  to  arouse 
him.  But  Mimkudawogoosk  was  very  dull  and 
sleepy,  and  could  not  understand  what  she  was 
talking  about.  And  all  the  time  he  kept  squeez 
ing  the  mouse  harder  and  harder,  although  he 
did  not  intend  to  kill  him.  At  last,  when  he  had 
tortured  the  mouse  enough,  he  let  him  go.  And 
never  did  a  frightened  mouse  run  faster. 

"This  brave  is  a  great  magician.  We  can 
never  kill  him, '  *  he  cried  as  he  reached  his  com 
panions.  And  they  all  made  off  for  home, 
faster  than  they  had  come,  lest  something  worse 
should  befall  them. 

Then  Mimkudawogoosk  packed  the  venison 
and  fur,  and  all  of  their  belongings  into  the 
canoe,  and  said,  "Do  you  take  the  canoe  back, 
while  I  return  to  my  old  home  for  my  sister." 

So  his  wife  took  the  canoe  home,  and  Mim 
kudawogoosk  travelled  back  over  the  mountain 
to  his  sister's  wigwam,  and  soon  they  were  both 
back  in  the  Indian  village  in  the  new  home. 

Now  there  was  feasting,  and  merriment,  and 
games;  but  all  the  time  the  young  men  were 
plotting  to  destroy  Mimkudawogoosk.  One  of 
them  belonged  to  the  Kwemoo — Loon — family, 
and  thinking  he  could  drown  Mimkudawogoosk, 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      109 

he  challenged  him  to  a  diving  match.  Mimku- 
dawogoosk  was  quite  willing,  so  off  they 
started.  Down  they  went  into  the  water,  and 
after  a  long  time  the  Loon  came  up  to  the  top, 
but  he  was  dead,  and  was  carried  away  down 
the  river  by  the  current.  Those  on  the  bank 
waited  a  long  time,  thinking  that  Mimkudawo- 
goosk  must  have  been  drowned  too,  but  at  last 
he  rose  to  the  surface  and  came  out  of  the 
water.  He  rose  into  the  air,  shaking  the  water 
from  his  wings,  and  went  flying  over  their 
heads,  for  he  had  changed  himself  into  a  sea- 
duck. 

So  in  everything  the  young  men  tried,  Mim- 
kudawogoosk  always  came  off  victorious,  to  the 
delight  of  his  wife  and  his  father-in-law.  But 
his  wife's  sisters  and  all  the  young  men  tried 
as  hard  as  they  could  to  do  him  injury. 

At  last  Mimkudawogoosk  decided  to  stay  no 
longer  with  them.  So  he  took  his  wife  and  his 
sister  and  his  little  son,  who  had  come  to  them, 
and  the  canoe  and  weapons  which  his  father-in- 
law  had  provided  for  him,  and  made  his  way 
back  to  his  own  lodge  in  the  forest  where  the 
sister  had  spent  so  many  lonely  years. 

And  Jcespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  ICE-KING 

ON  the  banks  of  a  wide  river  there  was  once 
a  large  Indian  village.  One  very  cold 
winter,  nearly  all  of  the  people  died.  But  at 
last  spring  and  the  warm  weather  came  again; 
the  snows  melted  from  the  hills ;  the  ice  left  the 
streams  and  lakes,  and  all  floated  down  with  the 
freshet  except  one  huge  ice-cake,  which  lodged 
on  the  land  some  distance  from  the  bank. 
There  it  stayed  for  a  long  time,  making  the  air 
cold  and  damp  for  a  great  distance  about. 

At  length  a  stout,  determined  Indian  decided 
to  get  rid  of  the  ice-cake.  He  took  a  great 
weapon  of  iron,  and  attacked  the  monster,  cry 
ing  out  at  every  blow,  "Come  on,  freeze  me  if 
you  can ;  do  your  best ! ' ' 

At  every  blow  the  enemy  gave  way,  and  was 
at  last,  by  dint  of  prying  and  pushing,  tumbled 
over  the  bank  into  the  river,  and  borne  away 
by  the  current. 

"There I"  cried  the  Indian.  "Be  off  with 
yourself,  and  never  come  back  to  trouble  us." 

"Thank  you!"  cried  the  Ice-King.  "You 
have  done  me  a  great  favour.  But  I  will  make 
you  another  visit  next  winter." 

no 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       111 

The  man  went  about  his  work.  In  the 
autumn  he  thought  about  the  threat  of  the  Ice- 
King  and  he  prepared  for  battle.  First,  he 
built  a  wigwam  in  a  place  where  fuel  and  water 
were  plenty.  Then  he  laid  in  a  good  supply  of 
wood,  chopping  down  dry  old  trees,  and  cutting 
the  fuel  fine.  Oil  he  prepared,  too,  to  use  in 
case  of  need.  And  he  made  ready  a  great  sup 
ply  of  winter  clothing. 

Winter  came  at  last,  and  with  it  came  the  Ice- 
King.  Everywhere  his  breath  could  be  felt — 
stiffening  the  lakes  and  river,  and  covering  the 
ground  with  frost  and  snow.  The  air  became 
colder  and  colder,  until  at  last,  one  day,  the  Ice- 
King  walked  boldly  into  the  wigwam,  and  took 
his  seat  opposite  the  place  where  the  man  was 
sitting.  So  cold  was  his  body  and  breath  that 
the  fire  almost  went  out,  and  the  Indian  was 
nearly  benumbed  by  the  cold. 

Yet  he  had  still  the  power  to  bestir  himself, 
and  with  all  the  energy  he  possessed,  he  began 
to  pile  the  wood  upon  the  fire.  The  fire  roared, 
and  crackled,  and  blazed  higher  and  higher,  and 
the  Ice-King  moved  back.  Soon  he  moved  back 
still  farther,  and  then  again,  until  he  was 
against  the  wall  of  the  wigwam  and  could  go 
no  farther.  Then  he  began  to  melt  and  grow 
smaller  and  weaker.  At  last  he  was  obliged  to 
cry  out  for  mercy. 


112      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"My  friend, "  he  cried;  "you  have  won  the 
victory;  now,  then,  let  me  go." 

Then  the  man  arose,  took  the  poker,  and 
pushed  the  fire  away,  allowing  the  Ice-King  to 
pass  out.  The  Ice-King  arose,  and  went  out, 
saying  as  he  went, i  i  My  friend,  you  have  fairly 
beaten  me  twice;  now  you  shall  be  my  master 
forever."  And  with  this  he  disappeared. 

After  this,  that  man  had  no  more  trouble  with 
the  cold.  For  him  it  was  always  summer  all 
the  year  round.  He  needed  neither  cap  nor 
mittens  nor  moccasins. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


PULOWECH  AND  THE  .SEA  MAIDEN 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  forest,  where 
magicians  and  other  evil  spirits  lived. 
These  evil  people  made  attacks  upon  the  In 
dians  whenever  they  could,  and  destroyed  them. 
Sometimes  they  would  transform  them  into  ani 
mals,  or  rocks,  or  trees,  or  anything  they  chose. 

Now  this  forest  was  beside  the  ocean,  where 
beautiful  sea  maidens  lived ;  and  the  evil  people 
of  the  forest  were  always  watching  to  seize 
them  and  torture  them.  So  the  sea  maidens 
were  afraid  to  go  about  on  the  shore. 

But  there  was  one  who  defended  them,  and 
they  did  not  know  it.  This  was  Pulowech,  an 
Indian  brave,  who  lived  in  a  wigwam  near  the 
forest. 

Pulowech  knew  all  about  these  evil  people 
of  the  forest,  and  he  was  watching  all  the  time 
to  destroy  them.  And  so  they  were  afraid  of 
him.  If  they  saw  him  walking  on  the  seashore, 
they  would  hide  again  in  the  forest.  So  when 
ever  Pulowech  was  near,  the  sea  maidens  were 
safe. 

One  day,  in  the  winter,  Pulowech  was  walk- 

113 


114      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ing  along  the  shore,  when  suddenly  he  came 
upon  three  beautiful  sea  maidens.  They  were 
sitting  upon  a  block  of  ice  braiding  their  hair. 
Pulowech  had  never  seen  them  before,  and  he 
thought,  * '  How  I  wish  that  I  might  have  one  of 
those  beautiful  maidens  for  my  wife!" 

He  stole  near,  thinking  that  he  might  seize 
one  before  they  saw  him.  But  just  as  he 
reached  the  block  of  ice  where  they  were,  they 
saw  him,  and  with  a  scream  sprang  into  the 
water  and  were  out  of  sight. 

"  I  will  wait  here,"  Pulowech  said,  "and  they 
may  come  back  again." 

He  gathered  many  spruce  boughs  and  made 
a  bank  of  them  near  the  block  of  ice.  Day 
after  day  he  hid  there,  waiting  for  the  sea 
maidens  to  come  back. 

At  "last  there  came  a  day  when  the  sea 
maidens  returned  to  the  very  spot  where  they 
had  been  before.  Pulowech,  watching  through 
the  spruce  boughs,  saw  them  come  up  out  of  the 
water,  and  look  cautiously  around.  Then  they 
climbed  upon  the  block  of  ice  and  untied  their 
hair-strings  and  began  unbraiding  their  hair. 

Pulowech  stepped  out  from  behind  the  bank 
of  spruce  boughs,  and  came  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  sea  maidens.  They  did  not  hear  him 
coming.  He  was  just  reaching  out  his  hand 
to  seize  one,  when  suddenly  they  all  screamed 
and  sprang  into  the  sea  again.  But  Pulowech 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST   115 

had  managed  to  seize  one  of  their  hair-strings. 

This  hair-string  had  magical  power,  and 
Pulowech  knew  that  the  sea  maiden  could  not 
live  without  it.  So  he  carried  it  to  his  wigwam, 
and  tied  it  around  the  post  at  the  head  of  his 
bed. 

In  the  morning,  when  Pulowech  awoke,  he 
saw,  sitting  quietly  on  the  mat  by  the  door  of 
the  wigwam,  a  beautiful  sea  maiden. 

"Why  do  you  come  here?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  come  for  my  hair-string, "  she  an 
swered. 

And  then  Pulowech  persuaded  her  to  stay 
and  be  his  wife. 

They  lived  very  happily  together  and  the  sea 
maiden  never  spoke  of  longing  for  her  old  home 
in  the  ocean. 

Whenever  Pulowech  went  away  from  the  wig 
wam,  he  would  say,  "Do  not  let  any  one  into 
the  wigwam  while  I  am  gone."  And  the 
maiden  always  did  just  as  he  said. 

One  day,  when  Pulowech  was  setting  out  on 
a  hunting  trip  to  be  away  many  days,  he  said, 
as  usual,  * '  Do  not  let  any  one  into  the  wigwam, 
— no  matter  who  it  may  be.  If  you  do,  great 
harm  will  come  to  you."  And  the  sea  maiden 
promised  that  she  would  not  open  the  door  for 
any  one. 

That  night  there  came  a  great  storm.  The 
ocean  roared,  and  the  wind  blew,  and  the  forest 


116      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

trees  moaned  in  the  wind  and  snow.  And  the 
sea  maiden  was  all  alone  in  the  wigwam.  But, 
in  the  midst  of  the  storm,  there  came  a  rapping 
at  the  door.  She  started  from  her  mat,  sorry 
for  any  one  out  in  such  a  storm — and  then  she 
remembered  the  words  of  her  husband,  "Do 
not  open  the  door  to  any  one. ' ' 

She  sat  down  again,  and  then  the  knocking 
came  again,  and  this  time  she  heard  the  voices 
of  her  brothers  and  sisters  calling  to  her. 

"Pantahdooe!  Pantahdooe!  Open  the  door 
unto  me!  Open  the  door  unto  me,  my  sister! 
We  have  missed  you,  and  we  have  come  from 
our  far-away  home  in  the  ocean  to  seek  you. ' ' 

Oh!  Her  brothers  and  sisters  were  out  in 
the  cold.  Of  course  she  must  let  them  in ! 

She  started  to  the  door ; — and  then  the  words 
of  her  husband  came  to  her  again,  "Do  not  let 
any  one  into  the  wigwam." 

Again  she  went  back  to  her  mat. 

The  storm  grew  louder,  and  the  trees  beat 
their  branches  against  the  wigwam.  And  then 
in  the  storm  she  heard  her  mother's  voice. 

" Pantahdooe!  'Ntoos!  Pantahdooe!  Open 
the  door  unto  me,  my  daughter !  Open  the  door 
unto  me!" 

The  sea  maiden  ran  to  the  door,  and  was  just 
drawing  away  the  post,  when  again  her  hus 
band's  words  come  to  her,  "Do  not  open  the 
door  to  any  one!" 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       117 

She  went  back  to  her  mat,  and  began  to  cry. 
Her  mother  and  her  brothers  and  her  sisters 
were  there,  and  she  could  not  let  them  in  out  of 
the  storm! 

And  then  she  heard  the  trembling  voice  of 
her  poor,  old  father. 

"  'Ntoos!  'Ntoos'  Pantahdooel  loke 
cyowchee!  My  daughter,  my  daughter!  Open 
the  door  unto  me,  for  I  am  very  cold." 

Ah !  She  could  not  leave  her  poor  old  father 
out  in  the  cold  and  storm ! 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  tore  away  the  post 
that  held  the  door,  and  opened  it! 

And  there  fell  upon  her  the  evil  people  of 
the  forest,  like  a  pack  of  wolves,  and  they  did 
not  leave  so  much  as  one  little  bone  upon  an 
other. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


HOW  PULOWECH  AVENGED  THE  SEA 
MAIDEN 

AFTER  the  wicked  people  of  the  forest  had 
destroyed  the  sea  maiden,  they  knew  that 
they  must  hide  from  the  angry  Pulowech;  for 
he  would  surely  avenge  her  death. 

One  sorcerer  said,  "I  will  hide  myself  high 
up  in  the  cliff  beyond  the  forest.  I  will  turn 
myself  into  the  stone  of  the  cliff  and  stay  there 
until  the  anger  of  Pulowech  passes  away." 

"And  I,"  said  another  sorcerer,  "will  go  far 
beyond  that  place,  and  climb  in  the  cliff  and 
stay  there  turned  into  stone  until  the  anger  of 
Pulowech  passes  away." 

"And  I  will  go  far  beyond  the  reach  of  Pulo 
wech  into  another  country,"  the  third  sorcerer 
said. 

Then  the  oldest  sorcerer  of  all,  an  old  woman 
whom  they  called  "Grandmother"  said,  "I  will 
go  far  beyond  you,  my  son.  I  will  go  beyond 
the  Cavern  of  Darkness.  Pulowech  will  never 
find  me  there." 

There  was  still  a  band  of  the  sorcerers  left, 
and  they  said,  "We  will  turn  ourselves  into  a 

118 


[WONDER  TALES  OP  THE  FOREST       119 

flock  of  wild  geese,  and  stay  by  the  great  lake 
on  this  side  of  the  mountain.  Pulowech  will 
never  think  of  finding  us  there." 

So  they  went  along  the  path  by  the  ocean  be 
yond  the  forest,  and  when  the  first  sorcerer 
came  to  the  place  in  the  cliff  where  he  was  to 
hide,  he  stopped.  Then  the  second  sorcerer 
came  to  his  hiding  place,  and  he  stopped  there. 
After  a  long  time  the  others  reached  the  great 
lake  near  the  mountain,  and  those  who  were 
to  transform  themselves  into  wild  geese  halted 
there.  There  were  but  two  of  the  wicked 
people  left — the  old  woman  sorcerer,  and  the 
one  who  would  go  into  the  far  country — and 
these  went  on  their  way  to  their  hiding  places. 

When  Pulowech  returned  to  his  lodge,  it  was 
quiet  and  empty.  There  was  no  beautiful  sea 
maiden  waiting  for  him.  The  fire  had  died  out 
long  ago,  and  the  wigwam  was  cheerless  and 
dark.  Where  could  the  sea  maiden  be? 

Pulowech  feared  that  the  sorcerers  of  the 
forest  might  have  killed  her ;  and  he  knew  that 
he  could  not  attack  them  and  destroy  them, 
unless  his  magical  power  was  greater  than 
theirs.  He  also  knew  that  he  must  be  calm  and 
quiet,  and  have  no  anger  or  haste,  or  he  could 
not  summon  his  magical  power  to  help  him. 
He  would  be  powerless.  So  he  took  a  small 
wooden  bowl,  and  filled  it  half  full  of  water, 


120      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

and  placed  it  by  the  door  of  his  wigwam.  Then 
he  went  quietly  to  bed  and  fell  asleep.  In  the 
morning  when  he  awoke,  he  looked  into  the 
wooden  bowl — and  there,  instead  of  water,  he 
saw  blood;  so  he  knew  that  the  sea-maiden 
wife  had  been  destroyed  by  the  sorcerers. 

Pulowech  took  a  stone  hatchet  and  stone- 
headed  arrows,  and  his  bow,  and  set  out  to 
track  the  sorcerers.  At  last,  he  found  their 
trail  and  followed  it  along  the  path  that  led 
beyond  the  forest,  and  in  front  of  the  cliff  by 
the  ocean.  He  travelled  on  and  on,  looking 
very  carefully  at  every  object  he  passed.  At 
last  he  saw,  high  up  on  the  cliff,  projecting  from 
the  rock  itself,  the  lower  part  of  a  man's  leg. 

"Ah!  This  sorcerer  thinks  that  he  is  hid 
den  in  the  cliff.  He  does  not  know  that  his  end 
has  come,''  thought  Pulowech.  And  with  that 
he  cut  the  leg  off  with  his  stone  hatchet;  and 
thus  one  of  the  wicked  sorcerers  of  the  forest 
was  destroyed,  for  he  could  not  turn  himself 
back  into  a  human  being  again,  but  must  always 
be  a  part  of  the  cliff. 

Then  Pulowech  went  on  his  way,  looking  all 
about  him  as  he  journeyed  along.  At  last  he 
saw  a  man's  foot  and  ankle  protruding  from 
the  cliff  near  the  ground.  He  took  his  stone 
hatchet  from  his  belt,  and  cut  off  the  foot.  And 
this  sorcerer  became  a  part  of  the  stone  cliff. 
He,  too,  was  destroyed. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       121 

"I  am  avenging  the  sea  maiden/'  thought 
Pulowech;  "but  I  have  a  long  journey  before 
me,  and  a  work  needing  all  of  my  magic. " 
As  he  said  this,  he  saw  a  poor,  little  squir 
rel  crawling  along  nearly  dead;  he  picked 
it  up  and  stroked  it,  and  put  it  in  his 
bosom,  saying,  "You  must  fight  for  me,  my 
brave  little  fellow ;  but  I  will  be  near  you  to  aid 
you." 

Pulowech  followed  the  path  by  the  ocean,  and 
soon  it  led  him  over  high  hills,  toward  a  great 
mountain,  and  at  last  he  came  to  a  large  lake. 
His  magical  power  warned  him  that  here  he 
would  find  many  of  the  evil  people.  And  as 
he  looked  out  over  the  lake,  a  flock  of  wild  geese 
rose  from  the  shore  and  mounted  high  in  the 
air. 

Then  Pulowech  called  his  magical  power  to 
help  him,  and  quickly  shot  one  arrow  after  an 
other  at  the  wild  geese.  They  fell,  one  by  one, 
at  his  feet,  until  the  entire  flock  had  been  killed. 
He  tied  them  together,  and  carried  them  over 
his  shoulder. 

As  Pulowech  went  over  the  high  mountain, 
he  knew  that  his  greatest  trial  was  yet  to  come, 
and  he  kept  away  from  him  all  feelings  of  anger 
and  disquiet ;  for  he  well  knew  that  his  strength 
depended  upon  his  quiet  and  peace  of  mind. 
Travelling  in  this  way,  he  at  last  saw  a  wigwam 
in  the  distance,  and  his  magical  power  warned 


122      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

him  that  another  of  the  wicked  sorcerers  was 
hiding  there. 

When  he  reached  the  place  he  entered  the 
wigwam.  There  before  him  sat  a  surly-look 
ing  Indian,  who  did  not  ask  him  to  take  the 
stranger 's  seat  in  the  best  part  of  the  wigwam. 
For  this  Indian  was  one  of  the  sorcerers,  and 
he  hoped  to  make  Pulowech  angry  and  thus 
lessen  his  magical  power.  So  Pulowech  sat 
down  on  the  mat  nearest  the  door,  and  waited 
quietly  for  the  other  to  speak. 

At  last  the  sorcerer  prepared  some  food, 
without  saying  a  word,  and  divided  it,  giving  a 
part  to  Pulowech.  As  Pulowech  took  the  plate, 
the  other  Indian  snatched  it  from  him  saying, 
"Ah,  no,  I  would  rather  give  it  to  my  dog!" 

Pulowech  did  not  become  angry  as  the 
sorcerer  had  hoped;  he  sat  quietly  just  as  if 
nothing  unpleasant  had  happened.  The  sor 
cerer  offered  him  food  and  took  it  away  a 
second  time ;  and  again  Pulowech  did  not  notice 
the  insult,  or  become  angry.  Then  the  sorcerer 
asked  rudely,  "Did  you  have  any  adventures 
on  the  way?" 

"Truly,  indeed!"  Pulowech  answered.  "I 
saw  a  man's  leg  sticking  out  of  a  cliff,  and  I 
cut  it  off,  and  went  on.  Then  I  came  to  a 
place  where  there  was  a  man's  foot  showing 
from  a  cliff,  and  I  cut  that  off.  And  then  I 
came  to  a  large  lake  near  a  great  mountain, 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       123 

and  I  saw  a  flock  of  wild  geese  rising  from  the 
shore,  and  I  shot  them,  every  one.  And  they 
are  outside  your  door.  And  much  good  may 
they  do  you!" 

The  sorcerer  was  taken  off  his  guard.  All 
of  his  comrades  had  been  killed  but  the  old 
grandmother ! 

"Ah!  Our  dogs  must  fight  this  out,"  he 
said.  He  called  his  dogs  from  another  room, — 
great,  fierce  beasts  possessed  of  magical  power. 
They  went  out  in  front  of  the  wigwam,  and 
Pulowech  took  from  his  bosom  the  little 
squirrel  and  stroked  it,  and  placed  it  upon  the 
ground, — and  it  was  instantly  transformed  into 
a  huge  beast.  It  sprang  at  the  two  dogs  and 
fought  them  furiously. 

When  the  sorcerer  saw  that  his  two  dogs 
were  no  match  for  Pulowech 's  dog,  he  cried, 
"Oh,  call  off  your  dog.  Those  dogs  belong  to 
my  grandmother,  and  she  prizes  them." 

But  Pulowech  did  not  notice  what  the  sor 
cerer  was  saying,  and  soon  the  two  beasts  lay 
dead  upon  the  ground. 

Now  the  sorcerer  had  one  other  hope  of  de 
stroying  Pulowech,  and  that  was — in  the  Cav 
ern  of  Darkness. 

"Let  us  go  in  the  canoe,"  he  said. 

So  the  two  set  off  in  the  canoe.  The  river 
was  broad  and  smooth  at  first ;  but  soon  it  grew 
narrow,  until,  without  warning,  it  fell  into  the 


124      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

earth,  and  rushed  along  underground  through 
the  Cavern  of  Darkness.  The  canoe  was  drawn 
so  swiftly  into  the  dark  place  that  Pulowech 
had  just  time  to  see  the  sorcerer  jump  into 
safety.  But  Pulowech  had  no  fear.  He  sat 
alone  in  the  canoe,  and  was  quiet  and  still,  as 
he  was  drawn  along  by  the  current  through 
narrow  places  where  sharp  rocks  might  easily 
dash  him  to  pieces.  On  and  on  he  was  carried 
until  he  saw,  far  ahead,  a  faint  light.  The 
light  grew  brighter  and  brighter,  and  at  last 
he  left  the  Cavern  of  Darkness,  and  went  out 
into  the  bright,  warm  sunlight,  where  the  water 
was  smooth  and  calm.  He  paddled  along  un 
til  he  saw  smoke  coming  from  a  wigwam.  Then 
he  landed  and  went  to  the  door.  There  he 
heard  the  sorcerer  talking. 

"And  grandmother,  he  killed  your  dogs!" 
Pulowech  heard  him  say. 

1  'Ah!  //  I  had  him  here!  If  he  were  only 
living,  and  would  come  this  way,  I  would  roast 
him  alive, — that  I  would,"  said  the  grand 
mother. 

' '  But  he  is  not  alive,  grandmother, ' '  the  other 
sorcerer  said,  "I  sent  him  into  the  Cavern  of 
Darkness,  and  he  will  not  see  the  light  again." 

Suddenly,  Pulowech  stood  before  them. 

"But  I  am  alive  after  all,"  he  said.  "Now 
come  on,  old  grandmother,  and  roast  me  to 
death!" 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST       125 

The  old  woman  made  a  hideous  scowl,  but 
said  nothing.  Pulowech  sat  down. 

Now  the  old  woman  belonged  to  the  Porcu 
pine  family,  and  so  could  endure  more  heat 
than  other  people.  Hoping  she  might  kill  Pulo 
wech,  she  built  a  great  fire  of  hemlock  bark. 
The  fire  blazed  and  crackled  and  roared,  and 
the  heat  became  intense.  But  Pulowech  did  not 
stir  until  the  fire  had  burned  down. 

Now  it  was  his  turn.  He  went  out  and 
gathered  fuel  and  built  a  fire,  and  then  closed 
and  fastened  the  entrance  to  the  cave.  He 
heard  the  sorcerers  calling  for  mercy,  but  he 
was  deaf  to  their  cries.  The  roof  and  sides 
of  the  cave  glowed  and  cracked  with  the  heat, 
and  by  and  by  the  fire  burned  down  and  all 
was  still.  The  last  of  the  robbers  and  mur 
derers  had  been  destroyed.  The  sea  maiden 
was  avenged! 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends, 


THE  GIANT'S  SON  AND  THE  BEAUTI 
FUL  MAIDEN 

IN  the  olden  time  there  lived  giants,  who  were 
fierce  and  cruel.  They  were  cannibals,  and 
many  of  them  possessed  magical  power ;  so  the 
Indians  were  all  the  more  afraid  of  them. 

In  a  certain  part  of  the  forest,  there  lived 
such  a  giant  with  his  wife  and  son.  The  son 
was  not  like  his  father;  he  was  just  like  other 
Indians.  It  was  his  work  to  go  into  the  forest 
and  hunt  for  the  tracks  of  human  beings  for 
his  father.  But  he  hunted  animals  for  his  own 
food. 

One  day  the  young  Indian  was  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  forest,  hunting  tracks  for  his 
father,  when  he  saw  a  beautiful  Indian  maiden. 
She  was  the  most  beautiful  maiden  he  had  ever 
seen,  and  he  thought,  "If  I  could  only  have  this 
maiden  for  my  wife!"  And  he  went  to  her, 
and  talked  with  her,  and  she  led  the  way  to  her 
home.  She  told  him  that  she  lived  alone  with 
her  helpless  old  father  and  mother,  and  that 
she  was  the  only  one  to  care  for  them.  She 
hunted  in  the  forest  for  animals  for  their  meat, 

126 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      127 

and  in  the  river  for  their  fish.  She  made  their 
fur  blankets  and  clothing,  and  she  cut  down  the 
great  trees  for  their  fire  in  the  cold  winter. 
She  was  their  only  child,  and  they  lived  alone 
in  that  part  of  the  forest. 

When  the  giant's  son  saw  how  helpless  the 
old  people  were,  he  said,  "If  you  will  only  give 
me  the  maiden  for  my  wife,  I  will  care  for  you 
as  long  as  you  live.  You  shall  never  want  for 
food ;  and  when  the  cold  snows  of  winter  cover 
the  forest,  they  shall  be  swept  away  from  your 
door,  and  you  shall  have  warmth  and  cheer  in 
your  wigwam.  But  I  must  tell  you  that  my 
father  is  a  terrible  Kookwes,  and  I  shall  need 
to  protect  you  from  him. ' ' 

The  old  people  answered,  "It  is  well, — son- 
in-law.  " 

Then  the  young  hunter  returned  to  his  home. 
He  had  spent  the  whole  day  with  the  beautiful 
maiden,  and  he  had  no  fresh  tracks  to  report  to 
his  father. 

The  next  morning,  he  hurried  off  in  another 
direction,  and  found  the  tracks  of  Indians,  and 
as  soon  as  his  father  had  set  off  to  find  them, 
the  son  told  his  mother  about  the  beautiful 
maiden  in  the  forest. 

"But  you  cannot  bring  her  here,  my  son; 
your  father  would  devour  her,"  the  mother 
said. 

'  i  Only  tell  my  father  about  her, ' '  he  pleaded. 


128      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Tell  him  that  I  will  always  hunt  for  him  as 
I  do  now ;  but  for  the  others  I  will  hunt  animals 
and  fish." 

So  that  night,  when  the  giant  came  home, 
the  mother  told  him  about  the  beautiful 
maiden. 

"He  must  not  bring  her  here.  He  cannot 
have  her  for  his  wife, ' '  stormed  the  old  giant. 

But  after  the  wife  had  told  him  how  much 
the  son  wished  to  marry  the  beautiful  maiden, 
the  giant  said,  "Well,  tell  him  that  he  may 
marry  her;  but  he  must  build  a  stone  wigwam 
far  away  from  here,  and  never  bring  her  near 
me." 

When  the  son  heard  what  his  father  had  said, 
he  hastened  away  to  the  home  of  the  maiden, 
and  she  became  his  wife.  He  took  her  home, 
and  he  and  his  mother  hid  her  safely  from  the 
old  giant,  until  they  could  build  a  lodge. 

When  the  lodge  was  ready,  the  two  went 
there  to  live ;  and  the  young  brave  hung  in  one 
corner  of  the  wigwam  a  small  bag  made  of 
skins. 

"Now  mind,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "that  you 
do  not  touch  this  bag;  for,  if  you  do,  great 
harm  will  come  to  you."  And  the  wife  said 
that  she  would  remember. 

The  years  went  by,  and  the  young  hunter 
kept  his  promise  to  the  old  people  in  the  far 
away  forest.  They  were  never  in  want  of 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      129 

food;  and  in  winter  the  snow  was  swept  from 
their  door,  and  they  were  never  cold. 

In  the  stone  wigwam,  where  the  young 
hunter  and  his  wife  lived,  there  came  in  time  a 
little  boy.  When  the  child  was  large  enough 
to  play  about  the  wigwam,  the  father  said  to 
the  mother: 

"Now  mind  that  he  does  not  touch  the  bag 
of  skin  hanging  in  the  corner." 

"And  mind,"  he  said,  when  the  child  was 
large  enough  to  play  with  the  little  bow  and 
arrow,  "mind,  that  he  does  not  harm  the  little 
skin  bag  that  hangs  in  the  corner.  For  if  you 
allow  him  to  touch  it,  great  harm  will  come 
to  you." 

All  went  well  for  a  time;  but,  one  day,  the 
child  was  shooting  the  little  arrows  about  the 
wigwam. 

"Mind,"  said  his  mother,  "that  you  do  not 
touch  the  little  skin  bag  hanging  in  the  cor 
ner." 

The  child  played  merrily  at  his  games,  while 
the  mother  busied  herself  about  the  wigwam. 
But  soon  came  the  cry: 

"Oh,  mother!  Look!  See  the  little  bag  in 
the  corner!" 

The  mother  turned  from  her  work  to  look 
at  the  bag;  an  arrow  had  pierced  it,  and  oil 
was  dripping  from  it  to  the  floor. 

At  that  very  moment,  far  away  in  the  forest, 


130      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

the  child's  father  fell  to  the  ground.  He 
knew  what  had  happened.  The  little  bag  had 
been  harmed.  It  was  a  magical  bag,  and  the 
brave  took  his  life  from  it.  If  all  of  the  oil 
should  drop  out  of  the  little  bag,  he  would  die 
alone  in  the  forest.  He  must  try  to  reach 
home! 

So  he  turned  towards  home,  but  he  grew 
weaker  and  weaker,  and  he  knew  that  the  oil 
was  dripping,  dripping,  from  the  little  bag  in 
the  corner.  He  went  along,  stumbling  at  every 
step,  until  at  last,  he  came  within  sight  of  the 
wigwam; — and  then,  nearer  and  nearer  until 
he  reached  the  doorway.  He  drew  aside  the 
skins,  and  there  he  saw  his  wife  trying  to  keep 
the  oil  from  dropping  out  of  the  bag. 

"Ah!  You  did  not  keep  your  promise  to 
me,"  he  said.  "Now  great  harm  will  fall  upon 
you." 

He  took  the  little  bag  and  made  it  whole 
again,  for  he  alone  could  do  that.  And  then 
he  went  back  into  the  distant  forest  again,  leav 
ing  his  wife  to  her  fate. 

Soon  she  heard  a  great  noise  outside.  She 
looked  and  there,  coming  to  the  wigwam,  draw 
ing  a  sled  after  him,  was  a  terrible  giant! 
She  knew  at  once  that  this  was  her  father-in- 
law. 

The  cruel,  fierce  giant  came  into  the  wigwam, 
and  seized  her,  and  took  her  away  on  the  big 


WONDER  TALES  OP  THE  FOREST      131 

sled  he  had  brought,  leaving  the  little  child 
alone  in  the  wigwam,  crying. 

From  that  time  the  little  boy  lived  alone,  ex 
cept  when  his  father  was  at  home  from  his 
hunting  trips.  For  years  he  lived  alone  until, 
at  last,  there  came  to  dwell  with  him  Kit- 
pooseagunow,  the  Avenger,  whose  work  was 
to  destroy  the  race  of  cannibal  giants  and 
sorcerers,  and  all  the  wicked  people  of  the 
forest.  And  after  that  the  little  boy  was  never 
lonely  again. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


KITPOOSEAGUNOW  THE  AVENGEE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  lonely  little 
boy.     He  had  no  playmates;  he  had  no 
mother;  his  father  was  away  on  long  hunting 
trips  much  of  the  time,  and  so  the  child  was 
alone  in  the  wigwam. 

Sometimes  the  little  boy  would  play  in  the 
forest  near  the  wigwam.  One  day  he  was  play 
ing  beside  an  old  well,  and  he  happened  to  look 
in.  What  was  his  surprise  to  see,  down  in  the 
well,  a  little  ~boy!  The  child  looked  up  and 
smiled;  and  after  a  little  while  he  climbed  up 
out  of  the  well. 

' ' What  is  your  name?"  asked  the  lonely  little 
boy. 

"My  name  is  Kitpooseagunow, "  answered 
the  child,  "and  I  am  your  brother.  When  our 
wicked  grandfather  seized  our  mother,  and 
was  taking  her  away,  I  was  born.  He  threw 
me  into  the  well,  and  I  have  lived  there  ever 
since. ' ' 

The  two  children  played  happily  together  all 
day;  and  when  night  was  coming,  Kitpoosea- 
gunow  went  back  to  his  home  in  the  well.  As 
he  was  leaving  his  brother  he  said : 

132 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      133 

"Ask  our  father  to  make  two  bows  and  ar 
rows  ;  but  do  not  tell  him  about  me. ' ' 

So  the  boy  asked  his  father  to  make  the 
bows  and  arrows,  as  Kitpooseagunow  had  said. 

The  next  day,  after  the  father  had  gone  hunt 
ing,  the  little  boy  went  to  the  well. 

"My  brother,"  he  called,  "will  you  not 
come  out  to  me?"  And  Kitpooseagunow,  from 
away  down  in  the  well,  called  back : 

"My  brother,  I  am  coming." 

All  that  day  the  children  played  together, 
and  at  night  the  younger  brother  went  back  to 
his  home  in  the  well. 

When  the  father  returned  from  his  hunting 
trip,  the  boy  told  him  about  the  little  brother 
in  the  well.  "He  is  so  shy,"  he  said,  "that  he 
will  not  stay  here  when  you  are  near.  But  if 
you  will  gather  many  bright  feathers,  he  may 
like  them,  and  perhaps  he  will  stay  here  with 
us." 

The  father  collected  the  bright  feathers,  and 
concealed  himself  in  the  wigwam.  Soon  Kit 
pooseagunow  came  in,  thinking  that  no  one  was 
about  but  his  brother. 

When  the  boys  were  busy  at  their  play,  the 
father  sprang  out  from  his  hiding-place,  and 
seized  Kitpooseagunow  before  he  could  run 
away.  Then  he  held  out  the  bright  feathers, 
one  after  another,  to  the  child,  until  he  be 
came  so  interested  in  the  pretty  colours  that 


134      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

lie  forgot  his  fear,  and  was  willing  to  stay  and 
live  with  his  father  and  brother  in  the  wigwam. 

One  day  Kitpooseagunow  said: 

"The  time  is  near  when  I  must  avenge  the 
death  of  my  mother.  Help  me,  my  brother,  to 
gather  dried  bark." 

The  boys  gathered  dried  bark,  and  piled  it 
up  in  the  wigwam,  until  there  was  scarcely 
room  to  move  about.  Then  they  made  large 
heaps  of  it  outside. 

When  the  father  returned  from  his  hunting, 
he  chided  the  children  for  making  the  wigwam 
so  untidy.  Then,  as  he  sat  by  the  fire  he  fell 
asleep,  for  Kitpooseagunow  was  coming  into 
his  magical  power,  and  had  made  him  sleepy. 
As  the  father  sat  nodding  by  the  fire,  the  boys 
lighted  the  bark,  and  went  outside  and  fastened 
the  door. 

"The  time  has  come  for  our  father  to  die," 
Kitpooseagunow  said. 

Soon  they  heard  their  father  calling  to  them, 
and  Kitpooseagunow  answered: 

"I  have  come  to  avenge  the  death  of  our 
mother.  You  left  her  to  be  devoured  by  the 
Kookwesf  and  now  you  must  die." 

Then  the  boys  set  out  for  the  lodge  of  their 
grandfather — the  terrible  Kookwes.  On  the 
way  they  passed  a  birch  tree.  Kitpooseagunow 
broke  a  small  branch  from  a  fir  tree  near  by, 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      135 

and  struck  the  birch  with  it.  The  beautiful 
white  bark  was  scarred  with  black  marks ;  and 
from  that  day  the  birch  tree  has  borne  the 
scars  of  Kitpooseagunow 's  beating. 

As  they  travelled  on,  Kitpooseagunow  began 
to  grow  larger  and  larger,  for  he  was  coming 
into  full  possession  of  his  magical  power,  and 
he  had  a  great  work  before  him. 

As  they  came  near  the  lodge  of  the  Kookwes, 
Kitpooseagunow  killed  a  moose ;  and  when  they 
reached  the  lodge  he  said: 

6  i  Grandfather,  we  have  killed  a  moose  for 
you.  Let  us  go  with  the  sled,  and  carry  it 
home." 

Now  the  old  giant  had  never  seen  Kitpoosea 
gunow  before ;  but  his  magical  power  told  him 
that  this  young  brave  before  him  was  none 
other  than  the  babe  he  had  thrown  into  the 
well.  And  he  knew  that  here  stood  the 
Avenger:  he  who  had  come  to  destroy  the  can 
nibal  giants  and  sorcerers  and  evil  people  of 
the  forest.  He  knew  that  this  brave  was  to 
be  the  friend  and  helper  of  Glooscap,  the  Great 
Chief,  and  that  together  they  would  overcome 
all  the  enemies  of  mankind. 

So  the  old  chief  took  his  sled,  and  the  three 
went  back  into  the  forest  to  the  place  where 
the  dead  moose  was  lying.  They  built  a  fire, 
and  the  giant  sat  before  it,  dressing  the  meat; 
and  as  he  sat  there,  Kitpooseagunow  caused 


136      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

him  to  fall  asleep.  And  then  Kitpooseagunow 
burned  the  wicked  old  giant's  body  into  ashes, 
and  gathered  the  ashes,  and  blew  them  into 
the  air;  and  so  evil  had  that  giant  been,  that 
from  the  ashes  sprang  poisonous  insects,  which 
flew  about  the  earth  to  torment  the  race  of 
men! 

After  this,  Kitpooseagunow  said : 

"I  have  now  avenged  the  death  of  our 
mother;  and  now  I  go  out  into  the  world  to 
fight  against  all  the  evil  spirits,  and  to  destroy 
them.  So  I  go  to  the  lodge  of  the  Great  Chief, 
and  he  will  direct  my  work  among  men." 

So  the  brothers  set  out  for  the  lodge  of 
Glooscap.  They  went  into  a  far  country,  and 
it  came  to  pass  as  they  journeyed,  that  they 
entered  a  land  where  there  was  no  water.  The 
lakes  and  rivers  and  streams — and  even  the 
springs  in  the  forest — were  dry  and  bare.  The 
Indians  were  dying  of  thirst. 

Kitpooseagunow  and  his  brother  entered  a 
humble  lodge,  where  lived  an  old  woman  with 
a  little  boy.  Kitpooseagunow  asked  for 
water. 

4  *  Alas,  there  is  no  water!"  the  old  woman 
said,  "for  Ablegemoo — the  giant  bullfrog — 
has  taken  all  the  water,  and  we  are  dying  of 
thirst." 

Now  Kitpooseagunow  knew  why  this  had 
been  done.  Ablegemoo  was  a  wicked  sorcerer, 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOEEST      137 

and  his  magical  power  had  warned  him  that  the 
Avenger  was  coming.  So,  by  his  magic,  he 
gathered  all  the  water  in  the  country  about, 
every  drop,  and  held  it  in  bark  dishes  in  his 
wigwam.  For  he  thought: 

"Now  the  Avenger  cannot  pass  through  this 
country  without  water;  so  he  will  go  away,  or, 
if  he  tries  to  journey  through,  he  will  die  of 
thirst. " 

But  Kitpooseagunow  was  determined  to  de 
stroy  this  evil  magician. 

"Send  the  child  to  the  wigwam  of  Able- 
gemoo, ' '  he  said,  i  i  and  bring  me  water. ' ' 

The  child  was  sent,  and  he  returned  with  a 
little  bowl  of  muddy  water.  Kitpooseagunow 
threw  this  out,  and  sent  him  again.  And  again 
the  boy  brought  back  muddy  water. 

"This  is  all  they  would  give  me,"  he  said. 

Kitpooseagunow  was  about  to  throw  this 
away,  when  the  old  woman  said: 

"Do  not  throw  the  water  away,  but  let  the 
child  have  it.  He  has  great  thirst."  So 
Kitpooseagunow  gave  the  water  to  the  child; 
and  then  he  said: 

"I  must  go  to  the  wigwam  of  Ablegemoo  my 
self,  I  see." 

Then  Kitpooseagunow  went  to  the  lodge  of 
Ablegemoo.  When  he  reached  it,  he  found 
that  the  great  wigwam  was  filled  with  many 
women — the  wives  of  the  chief — who  were  try- 


138      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ing  to  take  the  skin  from  a  great  bear.  He 
watched  them  a  moment,  and  then  he  said: 

"Let  me  do  that  for  you."  The  women,  in 
surprise,  left  their  work,  and  Kitpooseagunow, 
with  one  wrench,  stripped  the  skin  from  the 
great  beast. 

All  this  time  Ablegemoo  was  in  the  back 
part  of  the  wigwam,  selling  water  to  the  fam 
ishing  Indians.  He  did  not  see  Kitpooseagu 
now;  he  did  not  know  that  he  was  there.  Kit 
pooseagunow  quickly  caught  up  the  giant, 
and  bent  him  back  over  his  knee.  The 
sorcerer  had  been  seized  so  suddenly  that  he 
was  taken  off.  his  guard,  and  could  not  call 
his  magical  power  to  his  aid.  His  back  was 
broken,  and  Kitpooseagunow  threw  him  out  of 
the  wigwam  dead.  But  from  that  day  the 
race  of  frogs  has  the  crumpled  back  that  Kit 
pooseagunow  gave  them  when  he  killed  the 
great  chief,  Ablegemoo. 

Now  as  soon  as  the  wicked  chief  was  dead, 
Kitpooseagunow  opened  all  the  great  bark 
dishes  that  held  the  water.  Instantly  the  water 
rushed  out,  and  filled  the  rivers  and  lakes,  and 
streams;  and  soon  the  country  about  needed 
water  no  longer.  And  never  from  that  day 
was  the  water  taken  from  them  again;  for  the 
wicked  old  sorcerer  Ablegemoo  was  dead. 

Kitpooseagunow  returned  to  the  lodge  of  the 
old  woman. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      139 

"Noogumee,  grandmother/'  he  asked,  "will 
you  make  me  a  small  canoe?" 

"Where  are  you  going,  my  son?"  the  old 
woman  asked. 

"I  am  seeking  Glooscap,  the  Great  Chief, " 
said  Kitpooseagunow. 

While  the  grandmother  was  making  the 
canoe,  Kitpooseagunow  formed  a  tiny  bow  from 
a  small  branch  of  a  fir  tree,  and  then  he  asked 
the  old  woman  for  a  hair  from  her  head.  This 
hair  was  for  the  bow-string,  and  Kitpooseagu 
now  knew  that  it  would  have  magical  power. 

In  the  morning  the  brothers  started  out  in 
the  canoe.  As  they  went  down  the  river, 
Kitpooseagunow  kept  a  close  watch  for  sor 
cerers  and  magicians,  who  could  assume  any 
form  they  chose.  For  he  knew  they  would  be 
watching  for  him  to  destroy  him. 

Once,  at  a  turn  in  the  river,  they  saw  a  huge 
giant,  standing  on  the  bank,  brandishing  his 
spear.  The  giant  pretended  that  he  was  look 
ing  for  fish;  but  in  reality  he  was  defending 
the  pass  against  the  Avenger,  who  was  now 
entering  his  territory. 

Kitpooseagunow  took  the  tiny  bow  and  aimed 
the  arrow  at  the  monster.  The  magical  power 
of  the  arrow  was  so  great  that  it  sent  the  giant 
with  a  great  leap  to  the  opposite  shore,  where 
he  fell  dead. 

A  little  farther  on  they  came  to  a  weir,  that 


140      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

belonged  to  another  wicked  giant.  Kitpoosea- 
gunow  seized  this,  and  destroyed  it.  After 
this  he  was  content  to  go  on,  for  he  knew  that 
through  this  act  the  whole  family  of  these  evil 
doers  would  be  destroyed. 

All  these  things  happened  just  as  Kitpoosea- 
gunow  had  planned.  The  Kookwes  came  down 
to  the  weir  to  see  what  had  been  trapped. 
And  instead  of  the  usual  supply  of  fish,  he 
found  his  weir  broken  and  utterly  destroyed. 
In  great  anger  he  went  to  his  lodge,  where  he 
lived  with  his  family — all  as  wicked  and  cruel 
and  fierce  as  he  was. 

"Ah,"  he  said  to  his  wife.  "My  weir  is  de 
stroyed.  You  should  have  been  watching  it. 
Now  I  will  destroy  you."  And  in  his  anger 
he  killed  first  one  and  then  another  of  his 
family,  until  at  last  he  was  left  alone  in  the 
wigwam. 

"After  all,"  he  said,  "it  was  my  own  weir, 
and  I  should  have  been  watching  it  myself.  I 
shall  destroy  myself  for  that."  And  with  that 
he  killed  himself.  So  this  whole  family  of 
Kookwes  was  destroyed  by  the  work  of  Kit- 
pooseagunow,  the  Avenger. 

All  this  time  the  brothers  were  going  down 
the  river.  At  last  they  came  to  a  place  where 
the  water  grew  rough,  and  the  way  narrow, 
and  before  them  rose  a  wall  of  rock.  Here  the 
river  dropped  suddenly  into  the  earth.  It 


"WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      141 

was  the  terrible  Cavern  of  Darkness,  that  they 
were  about  to  enter. 

"I  must  guide  the  canoe  now,"  Kitpoosea- 
gunow  said.  "Be  calm  and  have  no  fear,  for 
this  is  a  great  trial  of  our  strength. " 

At  that  moment  the  canoe  was  drawn  under 
neath  the  earth.  Through  the  dark  place  they 
were  drawn  swiftly  along,  the  foam  beating 
in  their  faces  and  sharp  rocks  jutting  out 
against  them.  But  at  last  light  came  to  them 
from  a  distance,  and  soon  they  were  in  quiet 
water  where  the  sun  was  shining. 

"Now  we  will  come  to  the  land  of  the  Por 
cupines,  "  Kitpooseagunow  said,  "and  their 
chief  will  try  to  kill  us;  for  he  is  one  of  the 
wicked  people  I  have  come  to  destroy." 

When  they  reached  the  place  they  landed 
and  entered  the  wigwam.  An  old  woman  of 
the  Porcupine  tribe  met  them  with  pretended 
kindness.  Now  Kitpooseagunow  saw  at  once 
that  this  was  really  the  wicked  sorcerer  whom 
he  had  come  to  destroy.  He  knew  that  she 
would  try  to  kill  him,  and  so  he  made  himself 
strong  in  his  magical  power. 

The  wigwam  they  entered  was  a  cave  of 
stone;  and  the  old  woman's  plan  was  to  build 
such  a  fire  as  would  smother  them  to  death. 
She  made  a  roaring  fire  of  hemlock  bark.  As 
the  place  grew  hot  and  thick  with  smoke,  the 
brother  of  Kitpooseagunow  fell  over  dead,  for 


142      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

tie  had  not  the  power  to  withstand  the  sorcerer. 
But  Kitpooseagunow  sat  quietly  until  the  fire 
had  died  away.  Then  he  arose  and  said: 

"It  is  now  my  turn  to  build  a  fire.  Saying 
this,  he  carried  his  brother's  body  into  the  open 
air  and  said: 

"  'Nsees,  my  brother, — arise."  And  the 
brother  arose,  restored  to  life  by  the  power  of 
Kitpooseagunow. 

Then  Kitpooseagunow  gathered  hemlock 
bark,  and  built  a  fire  in  the  cave,  and  went  out 
leaving  the  old  woman  fastened  in.  Soon  the 
heat  and  smoke  became  greater  than  her  mag 
ical  power  could  bear,  and  she  fell  over  dead. 

After  this,  the  two  brothers  went  down  the 
river  until  they  came  to  the  land  of  Mice. 

"Here,  my  brother, "  said  Kitpooseagunow, 
"dwell  the  people  of  the  race  of  Mice.  They 
are  our  enemies  and  will  try  to  destroy  us. 
They  will  make  a  great  feast  for  us;  but  the 
food  they  place  before  us  will  be  poisoned. 
See  that  you  eat  none  of  it,  only  make  a  pre 
tence  of  eating  it.  After  the  feast  we  will  go 
on  our  way;  for  the  time  is  not  yet  come  for 
me  to  destroy  them." 

Everything  happened  just  as  Kitpooseagu 
now  had  foretold. 

The  people  of  the  land  of  Mice  were  wicked 
magicians.  But  they  made  a  pretence  of 
friendliness  for  the  travellers,  and  made  a 


i 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      143 

great  feast  for  them;  and  the  food  they  set 
before  them  was  poisoned. 

After  the  feast  was  ended,  Kitpooseagunow 
and  his  brother,  to  their  great  astonishment, 
did  not  die ;  they  continued  on  their  journey  as 
well  as  ever. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  brothers  entered 
the  land  of  Bed  Squirrels.  The  Indians  here 
were  under  the  rule  of  Glooscap,  and  so  they 
were  glad  to  entertain  the  travellers,  who  were 
seeking  their  Great  Chief.  After  the  feast, 
where  all  had  met  as  friends,  the  two  brothers 
entered  their  canoe  again,  and  set  out  for  the 
home  of  Glooscap.  They  had  no  more  enemies 
to  conquer  now,  for  they  were  near  the  Mas 
ter. 

The  brothers  journeyed  on,  and  at  last  en 
tered  a  body  of  water  that  swept  far  about  a 
high  point  of  land  covered  with  giant  trees. 
There  were  great,  red  cliffs  leading  up  out 
of  the  water  to  the  point  of  land  far  above, 
where  Glooscap  dwelt.  Kitpooseagunow,  point 
ing  to  the  place  high  above  them,  said: 

"  There  dwells  the  one  I  seek.  There  dwells 
the  Great  Chief,  who  will  direct  me  in  my 
work. ' ' 

Kitpooseagunow  landed  the  canoe  where  the 
red  bank  was  lowest,  the  two  brothers  climbed 
the  steep  cliff,  and,  at  last,  reached  the  forest 
above.  Kitpooseagunow  stood  in  the  high 


144      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

place  and  looked  out  over  the  world  at  his  feet. 
And  a  great  courage  came  into  his  heart. 

There  before  him  lay  the  world  where  he 
would  fight  his  battles  to  conquer  evil,— and 
close  beside  him  was  Glooscap,  the  Great  Chief, 
from  whom  he  would  receive  the  power. 

Kitpooseagunow  turned  and  entered  the  wig 
wam  of  the  Great  Chief. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


THE  FOREST  MAIDEN 

IT  was  in  the  olden  time,  and  two  brothers 
went  hunting  in  the  autumn,  far  up  a 
river,  in  the  deep  forest.  And  they  built  a 
wigwam  there,  and  remained  all  winter. 

In  the  early  spring  their  snow  shoes  and  their 
moccasins  were  worn  and  torn,  and  one  night 
they  wished  that  a  woman  were  there  to  mend 
them. 

The  younger  brave  returned  to  the  lodge  the 
next  day  before  his  brother,  as  usual,  to  pre 
pare  the  evening  meal — when,  what  was  his 
astonishment  to  find  that  some  one  had  been 
there  before  him!  Their  garments  were 
mended;  the  lodge  was  clean;  there  was  a 
bright  fire;  and  the  kettle  was  boiling. 

He  said  nothing  about  these  wonderful  things 
to  his  brother  that  night. 

The  next  night  he  came  back  at  the  same 
time,  and  he  found  that  some  one  had  been 
there  again;  and  that  all  was  ready  for  the 
evening  meal.  Again  he  said  nothing;  but  in 
the  morning,  when  he  started  out  to  hunt,  he 
went  but  a  little  way,  and  watched  the  door 
from  a  hiding-place. 

145 


146      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Soon  he  saw  coming  toward  the  wigwam  a 
beautiful,  graceful  maiden.  She  was  well 
dressed  and  clean.  She  entered  the  wigwam, 
and  the  young  brave  drew  near,  and  stepping 
softly,  looked  through  a  hole  into  the  lodge, 
and  watched  her  as  she  busied  herself  about 
the  work  of  the  wigwam. 

Then  he  drew  aside  the  blankets  in  the  door 
way,  and  stood  before  the  maiden.  She 
seemed  frightened  and  confused. 

"Have  no  fear,"  he  said.  "I  will  not  harm 
you." 

Soon  they  became  friendly,  and  they 
sported  together  like  children  all  day  long. 
For  they  were  both  young. 

When  the  sun  was  low,  and  the  shadows 
grew  long,  the  maiden  said: 

"I  must  go  away  now;  I  hear  your  brother 
coming,  and  I  fear  him.  But  I  will  come  to 
morrow." 

She  ran  away  through  the  forest,  and  the 
elder  brother  entered  the  wigwam.  Still  he 
knew  nothing  about  the  maiden. 

The  next  day  the  maiden  came  again,  and 
once  more  the  two  played  in  the  sunshine  and 
shadow  until  evening.  But  before  she  went, 
the  young  brave  tried  to  persuade  her  to  stay 
always;  and  she,  as  though  in  doubt  said: 

"Tell  your  brother  all,  and  it  may  be  that 
I  will  stay  and  serve  you  both,  for  I  can  make 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST      147 

the  snow-shoes  and  the  moccasins,  which  yon 
need  so  much,  and  I  can  also  bnild  canoes. " 

Then  she  ran  away,  and  when  the  elder 
brother  came  home,  the  young  brave  told  him 
all  that  had  happened. 

The  elder  brother  said: 

11  Truly,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  some  one 
here  to  take  care  of  the  wigwam  for  us. ' ' 

In  the  morning  the  beautiful  maiden  re 
turned  as  she  had  promised.  When  she  heard 
that  the  brother  would  consent  to  her  coming 
to  stay  with  them  she  was  very  glad,  and  ran 
off  again  as  if  in  great  haste. 

At  noon  she  returned,  drawing  a  sled  piled 
up  with  garments  and  arms, — for  she  was  a 
hunter ;  and  indeed,  she  could  do  all  things,  as 
few  women  could,  whether  it  were  cooking,  or 
sewing,  or  making  all  that  men  need. 

So  the  spring  passed  pleasantly,  until  the 
snow  was  gone;  and  then  it  was  time  for  the 
hunters  to  return  home.  Until  the  maiden 
came,  they  had  had  but  little  luck  in  their  hunt 
ing;  but  after  that  everything  was  changed, 
and  now  they  had  a  great  supply  of  furs. 

One  day  they  started  in  their  canoes  down 
the  river  toward  home.  But  as  they  drew  near 
to  it,  the  maiden  became  sad.  As  they  came  to 
a  point  of  land,  she  started  and  said: 

"Here  I  must  leave  you.  I  can  go  no 
further.  Say  nothing  of  me  to  your  parents, 


148      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 


for  your  father  would  have  but  little  love  for 


me.': 


The  young  man  tried  to  persuade  her  to  go 
with  them  but  she  only  answered  sorrowfully: 

"No,  it  cannot  be." 

So  they  went  home  without  her. 

Now  the  elder  brother  was  so  proud  of  their 
great  luck  in  hunting  that  he  must  tell  all  that 
had  befallen  them,  and  about  the  young  maiden 
who  had  come  to  be  their  housekeeper. 

Then  the  father  became  very  angry,  and 
said: 

"All  my  life  I  have  feared  this.  This 
woman,  I  may  tell  you,  is  a  devil  of  the  woods, 
a  witch  of  the  Mitche-hant,  a  sister  of  the 
Oonaligamess,  the  goblins,  and  of  the  Ke'tahks, 
the  ghosts. " 

He  spoke  so  earnestly  and  so  long  of  this 
thing  that  they  were  afraid,  and  the  elder, 
urged  on  by  his  father,  went  forth  to  slay 
the  maiden.  And  the  younger  brother  fol 
lowed  him  afar  off. 

They  sought  her  by  a  stream,  and  found  her 
bathing.  When  she  saw  them  coming,  she  ran 
up  a  little  hill.  And,  as  she  ran,  the  elder 
brother  shot  an  arrow  after  her.  It  struck  her 
back,  and  they  saw  that  there  was  a  strange 
flurry  about  her,  and  a  scattering,  as  of 
feathers;  and  then  they  saw  a  little  grey  bird 
arise  from  the  ground  and  fly  away. 


WONDER  TALES  OF  THE  FOREST   149 

Then  the  brothers  returned  to  the  lodge  and 
told  their  father  all  that  had  happened. 

"You  did  well/'  he  said.  "I  know  all  about 
those  female  devils,  who  seek  to  destroy  men. 
Truly  this  was  a  she  Mikumwess,  a  witch. " 

The  younger  brother  could  not  forget  his 
companion  of  the  woods,  and  he  longed  to  see 
her  again.  And  one  day,  filled  with  this  long 
ing,  he  went  by  himself  into  the  woods,  and 
there  lie  found  her! — And  she  was  as  kind  to 
him  as  before. 

"Truly,  it  was  not  by  my  wish,"  he  said, 
"that  my  brother  shot  the  arrow  at  you." 

"Truly,  I  know  that,"  she  answered;  "and 
that  it  was  all  the  doing  of  your  father.  Yet 
I  do  not  blame  him,  for  this  is  an  affair  of  the 
days  of  old.  And  even  yet  it  is  not  at  an  end, 
for  the  greatest  is  to  come.  But  let  the  day 
be  only  a  day  unto  itself.  The  things  of  to 
morrow  are  for  io-morrow,  and  the  things  of 
yesterday  are  departed!" 

So  they  forgot  their  troubles,  and  played  to 
gether  merrily  like  children  all  day  long,  in 
the  woods  and  in  the  open  places,  and  told 
stories  of  olden  times  until  sunset.  And  as 
the  crow  went  to  his  tree,  the  young  brave  said : 

"Now  I  must  return  to  my  people." 

And  she  replied: 

"Whenever  you  wish  to  see  me,  come  to  the 
forest.  And  remember  what  I  have  told  you. 


150      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Do  not  marry  any  one ;  for  your  father  wishes 
you  to  do  so,  and  he  will  speak  of  it,  and  that 
very  soon.  Yet  it  is  for  your  sake  only  that 
I  say  this.  You  must  not  forget." 

Then  she  told  him,  word  for  word,  all  that 
his  father  had  said  about  her ;  and  yet  the  young 
brave  was  not  astonished,  for  he  knew  now  that 
she  was  not  as  other  women.  But  he  did  not 
care,  and  he  grew  brave  and  bold;  and  when 
she  told  him  that  if  he  should  marry  another, 
he  would  surely  die,  it  was  as  nothing  to  him. 

Then  he  left  her  there  in  the  forest,  and  re 
turned  to  his  own  people;  and  the  first  words 
his  father  said  to  him  were  these: 

"My  son,  I  have  found  a  wife  for  you,  and 
the  wedding  must  be  at  once." 

"It  is  well,"  he  said.     "Let  it  be  so." 

Then  for  four  days  they  held  the  wedding 
dance,  and  for  four  days  they  feasted,  but  on 
the  last  day  the  young  brave  said: 

"This  is  the  end  of  it  all!"  And  he  lay  down 
on  a  white  bear  skin,  and  then  a  great  sick 
ness  came  upon  him,  and  when  they  brought 
the  bride  to  him,  they  found  that  he  was  dead. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


ANIMAL  STOEIES 


HOW  ABLEEGUMOOCH  WAS  PUNISHED 
FOB  HIS  LAZINESS 

IN  the  forest  Ableegumooch,  the  Eabbit,  lived 
with  his  old  grandmother.  It  was  his  work 
to  provide  food  for  the  household,  but  he  found 
this  no  easy  matter,  especially  in  the  winter, 
when  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  and 
ice. 

One  day,  Ableegumooch  was  running  through 
the  forest  in  search  of  food,  when  suddenly  he 
came  upon  a  wigwam,  standing  all  alone.  He 
went  in,  and  found  that  it  was  the  lodge  of 
Keoonik,  the  Otter.  This  wigwam  was  on  the 
bank  of  a  river,  and  from  the  door  a  smooth 
road  of  ice  extended  down  to  the  water. 

With  Keoonik,  the  Otter,  lived  an  old  woman, 
his  housekeeper.  As  soon  as  Ableegumooch 
entered,  Keoonik  asked  him  to  dine  with  them. 
Then  he  turned  to  the  old  woman  and  said: 

"Noogumee,  prepare  the  meal." 

Keoonik  then  took  up  the  hooks  upon  which 
he  hung  his  fish  when  he  caught  them,  and  went 
to  catch  some  for  dinner.  He  sat  down  on  the 
icy  bank  and  slid  straight  down  into  the  water. 
Ableegumooch  watched  him. 

153 


154      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"What  is  lie  going  to  do?"  he  thought. 

Soon  Keoonik  returned  with  a  great  string  of 
eels,  which  the  old  woman  promptly  prepared 
for  dinner. 

"My  sakes!"  thought  Ableegumoch,  "If  that 
isn't  an  easy  way  of  getting  a  living!  Why 
cannot  I  do  that  as  well  as  Keoonik?  Of 
course  I  can.  Why  not?" 

And  before  he  left  the  lodge  he  had  invited 
Keoonik  to  be  his  guest  at  dinner  on  the  third 
day  after  that  day.  Then  he  hurried  home. 

"Come!"  he  said  to  his  grandmother,  "we 
are  going  to  move  our  wigwam  down  to  the 
lake."  He  found  a  place  just  like  that  of  his 
friend,  Keoonik,  and  he  soon  moved  his  wig 
wam  to  it,  although  the  grandmother  did 
not  wish  to  go.  Then  Ableegumooch  built  his 
ice-road,  just  like  the  Otter's.  The  weather 
was  freezing  cold,  and  all  he  had  to  do  was  to 
pour  water  down  the  bank,  where  it  soon  froze 
—and  there  was  his  road  all  ready  to  slide 
upon  when  he  should  go  fishing,  like  Keoo 
nik! 

The  next  day  his  guest,  Keoonik,  came. 
When  it  was  dinner  time,  Ableegumooch  said  to 
his  grandmother: 

"Noogumee,  prepare  the  meal." 

"But,"  said  the  old  lady,  "there  is  nothing 
to  prepare." 

"Oh,  I  will  see  to  that,"  said  Ableegumooch. 


ANIMAL  STORIES  155 

He  arranged  a  hook  to  string  his  eels  upon, 
and  took  his  seat  at  the  top  of  the  slide.  But 
when  he  tried  to  slide,  he  found  it  was  not  so 
easy  as  he  thought.  He  hitched,  and  he  caught, 
and  he  bumped  along,  until  at  last  he  plunged 
into  the  water.  The  water  was  cold,  and  took 
away  his  breath.  He  struggled  and  gasped 
and  was  nearly  drowned,  for  he  could  not 
swim. 

"What  on  earth  is  the  matter  with  him?" 
Keoonik  asked  the  old  grandmother,  who  was 
looking  on  in  amazement. 

"Oh,  I  suppose  he  has  seen  some  one  else  do 
that,  and  he  thinks  he  can  do  it  too,"  answered 
the  grandmother. 

"  Come  out!  Come  out  of  that/'  called 
Keoonik,  "and  give  me  your  stick."  Shiver 
ing  with  cold,  and  almost  drowned,  poor  Ablee- 
gumooch  came  crawling  out  of  the  water,  and 
limped  to  the  lodge,  where  his  grandmother 
gave  him  a  hot  drink  to  stop  his  chills. 

In  the  meantime  Keoonik,  the  Otter,  plunged 
into  the  water  and  very  soon  came  up  with  a 
string  of  eels.  But  he  was  so  disgusted  at  the 
actions  of  Ableegumooch,  who  was  so  silly  as 
to  try  to  do  something  he  knew  nothing  about, 
that  he  would  eat  no  dinner,  and  went  away 
home — which  of  course  was  a  great  insult. 

And  Ableegumooch  vowed  that  sometime  he 
would  get  even  with  the  Otter. 


156      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

One  day,  after  Ableegumooch  had  recovered 
from  his  cold  plunge  in  the  water,  he  was  run 
ning  about  in  the  forest,  when  he  came  upon  a 
wigwam  filled  with  young  women  who  wore 
beautiful  head-dresses.  This  happened  to  be 
a  party  of  Antawaas,  who  were  yellow  wood 
peckers.  Ableegumooch  entered  the  hut,  and 
the  young  women  politely  invited  him  to  sit 
down  and  stay  to  dinner.  Then  one  of  the 
young  women  took  a  small  dish,  and  went  up 
the  side  of  an  old  beech  tree,  and  quickly  dug 
out  a  plentiful  supply  of  food.  This  was  soon 
boiled  and  ready  for  dinner. 

"Ah,"  thought  Ableegumooch,  "how  easily 
some  people  get  a  living!  What  is  to  hinder 
me  from  getting  mine  in  the  same  fashion. 
Come  over  and  dine  with  me  the  day  after  to 
morrow,"  he  said  to  the  young  women. 

At  the  time  set,  the  young  ladies  arrived, 
and  Ableegumooch  turned  to  his  grandmother 
and  said  importantly: 

"Noogumee!    Prepare  the  meal." 

"But,  my  child,  there  is  nothing  to  prepare!" 
she  said. 

"You  make  ready  the  fire,  and  7  will  attend 
to  the  rest,"  replied  Ableegumooch,  more 
proudly  than  ever. 

So  he  took  the  hard  iron  of  an  eel  spear,  and 
fastened  it  upon  his  head  to  make  it  like  the 
head  of  the  woodpecker  girls.  Then  he  climbed 


ANIMAL  STORIES  157 

up  an  old  tree  and  began  knocking  his  head 
against  it,  trying  to  peck  as  the  woodpecker 
girl  had  done.  Soon  his  head  was  bruised,  and 
torn,  and  bleeding.  The  pretty  Antawaas 
looked  on  and  laughed  at  him. 

"Pray,  what  is  he  trying  to  do  up  there?" 
one  whispered  to  the  old  grandmother. 

' '  Oh,  dear !  I  suppose  he  has  seen  someone 
else  do  that,  and  he  thinks  he  can  do  it  too," 
answered  the  old  grandmother,  shaking  her 
head. 

"  Oh,  come  down!"  one  Antawaas  called  to 
Ableegumooch,  "and  give  me  your  dish." 
Ableegumooch  came  down  and  the  Antawaas 
climbed  up  the  tree  and  soon  had  the  dish  full 
of  dainty  food,  which  the  grandmother  boiled. 
And  they  all  had  dinner. 

But  Ableegumooch  could  never  seem  to  learn 
wisdom  by  experience.  One  day,  not  long  after 
his  adventure  in  the  beech  tree,  he  happened  to 
be  in  the  wigwam  of  his  neighbour,  the  Bear, 
and  he  noticed  how  easily  the  bear,  who  was  a 
magician,  could  get  the  meat  for  his  dinner. 
The  great  kettle  was  placed  over  the  fire,  and 
the  Bear  took  a  sharp  knife  and  quickly  cut  off 
a  small  piece  from  the  sole  of  his  foot,  and  put 
it  into  the  kettle  to  boil.  Soon  the  whole  kettle 
was  full  of  meat,  and  they  had  a  great  meal. 
Ableegumooch  thought  it  was  the  best  meal  he 
had  ever  eaten. 


158     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"It  is  wonderful/9  thought  he,  "how  easily 
some  people  can  get  a  living!  Why  can  I  not 
do  as  the  bear  does?  Why  I  can,  of  course! 
Come  over  and  dine  with  me,  to-morrow, "  he 
said  to  the  Bear. 

The  next  day,  at  the  appointed  time,  the  Bear 
came. 

"Noogwnee,  prepare  the  meal,"  said  Albee- 
gumooch,  even  more  proudly  than  ever  before. 

"But,"  said  the  old  lady,  "there  is  nothing 
to  prepare." 

"Put  over  the  kettle  to  boil,  and  7  will  at 
tend  to  the  rest,"  said  Ableegumooch,  throw 
ing  out  his  chest  importantly.  He  took  a  small 
stone  knife,  and  began  to  cut  his  foot,  as  he 
had  seen  the  Bear  do.  But  alas  for  his  poor 
little  lean  toes!  Bits  of  skin  and  fur  were  all 
he  could  cut  from  them.  He  hacked  and  hacked 
at  one  foot  and  then  at  another,  but  all  in  vain. 
He  could  not  get  any  meat  to  start  the  dinner, 
for  he  did  not  have  cushions  like  the  Bear. 

The  Bear  looked  on  in  astonishment,  and 
said  to  the  grandmother: 

"What  on  earth  is  the  fellow  trying  to  do?" 

"Oh,  dear!  Oh,  dear!"  sighed  the  grand 
mother,  shaking  her  head,  "I  suppose  he  has 
seen  someone  else  do  that  and  he  thinks  that 
he  can  do  it  too." 

"Come!"  said  the  bear,  "give  me  your  knife, 
and  let  us  see  what  I  can  do."  So  he  took  the 


ANIMAL  STORIES  159 

knife  and  quickly  sliced  off  a  cushion  from  his 
foot  and  tossed  it  into  the  kettle,  where  by  the 
aid  of  his  magic,  it  soon  became  a  great  piece 
of  bear's  meat, — and  then  they  all  had  dinner, 

But  poor  little  Ableegumooch  was  so  sore  and 
lame  that  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could 
get  about  again  at  all. 


HOW  ABLEEGUMOOCH  RETALIATED 
UPON  THE  OTTER 

WHEN  Keoonik,  the  Otter,  would  not  dine 
with  Ableegumooch  and  his  grand 
mother,  but  went  away  hungry,  Ableegumooch 
vowed  that  he  would  punish  him  well  for  his 
rudeness.  In  order  to  do  this,  he  must  have 
magical  power.  So  as  time  passed,  Ableegu 
mooch  willed  to  have  magical  power  and,  at 
last,  the  day  came  when  he  acquired  the  mag 
ical  power  he  had  been  trying  to  gain. 

He  went  to  the  wigwam  of  Keoonik,  and 
found  that  both  the  Otter  and  his  grandmother 
were  away.  But  near  the  door  was  a  string  of 
eels,  evidently  just  placed  there  by  the  Otter. 

Ableegumooch  caught  up  the  string  of  eels 
and  started  off  with  them. 

Very  soon  Keoonik  returned,  to  find  his  string 
of  eels  gone,  and  to  see  many  tracks  of  a  rab 
bit  about  the  wigwam  door.  As  the  Otter  fol 
lowed  the  tracks  he  could  see  the  marks  in  the 
sand  made  by  the  eels  whenever  they  touched 
the  ground.  Following  the  tracks,  the  Otter 
soon  came  within  sight  of  the  rabbit  with  the 

160 


ANIMAL  STORIES  161 

stolen  string  of  eels.  Keoonik  ran  along,  and 
gained  upon  Ableegumooch,  and  would  have 
overtaken  him ;  but  happening  to  turn  his  head 
an  instant— in  that  instant  the  rabbit  disap 
peared.  All  Keoonik  could  see  was  a  small, 
deserted  looking  wigwam.  Into  the  wigwam  he 
went,  and  there  he  saw  an  old  woman  with  sore 
eyes,  shivering  over  a  few  coals.  Keoonik  no 
ticed  what  long,  pointed  ears  she  had! 

"Did  you  see  a  rabbit  happening  along  this 
way?"  asked  the  Otter.  "He  was  trailing  a 
string  of  eels  after  him." 

"Babbit?  Babbit?"  the  old  woman  replied. 
"What  kind  of  an  animal  is  that?" 

"Why,"  said  the  Otter,  "a  little,  white, 
jumping  creature,  with  long,  pointed  ears." 

"No,  I  saw  no  such  animal.  But  I  am  so 
glad  that  you  have  come,  my  son;  for  I  am 
very  poor  and  cold.  Do  please,  gather  a  little 
wood  for  me." 

Keoonik  went  out  to  gather  wood.  When  he 
returned  to  the  place — there  was  no  wigwam — 
there  was  no  old  woman— nothing  but  rabbit 
tracks  in  the  sand!" 

Then  the  Otter  knew  that  Ableegumooch  had 
played  a  trick  upon  him,  and  he  darted  off  after 
the  enemy  with  more  fury  and  speed  than  ever. 

Soon  he  came  upon  an  Indian  village,  where 
preparations  were  going  on  for  a  great  festi 
val.  He  saw  the  Chief  dressed  all  in  white, 


162      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

walking  about  with  a  singular  jumping  gait. 
Keoonik  noticed  that  the  Chief,  too,  had  long 
pointed  ears.  The  Otter  walked  up  to  him. 

"Did  you  see  a  rabbit  running  along  this 
way?"  the  Otter  asked.  "He  was  carrying  a 
string  of  eels.  I  tracked  him  to  this  village. " 

' '  Babbit  f  Rabbit  f ' '  the  Chief  asked  in  a  puz 
zled  way.  "What  kind  of  a  thing  is  that!" 

"Oh,"  Keoonik  answered,  "a  small  white 
creature,  with  long  ears  and  long  legs  and  a 
short  tail." 

"No,  I  have  seen  no  such  creature,"  the  In 
dian  Chief  answered.  "But  stay  and  feast 
with  us." 

So  Keoonik  stayed,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
feasting  and  gaiety — suddenly — someone  struck 
him  on  the  head,  from  behind,  and  Keoonik  fell 
over  unconscious !  When  he  opened  his  eyes 
— there  was  no  feast  before  him; — there  were 
no  Indians — all  was  quiet.  There  was  no  In 
dian  village — all  Keoonik  could  see  was  the 
tracks  of  a  rabbit  in  the  sand. 

Then  Keoonik  knew  that  he  had  been  out 
witted  a  second  time  by  Ableegumooch,  and  in 
his  anger,  he  vowed  that  he  would  kill  the  first 
Indian  he  met. 

Away  he  went,  determined  not  to  be  cheated 
again.  Soon  he  had  gained  upon  the  rabbit, 
whom  he  saw  enter  a  swamp  and  then  disappear 
from  his  sight.  Keoonik  ran  along,  entered  the 


ANIMAL  STORIES  163 

swamp  after  the  rabbit, — and  came  to  a  lake. 
There  in  the  centre  of  the  lake  was  a  great 
canoe,  full  of  Indian  warriors,  pointing  their 
arrows  at  him. 

Keoonik  was  sorry,  now,  that  he  had  vowed 
to  kill  the  first  Indian  he  saw;  because  an  In 
dian  could  not  break  his  vow,  after  it  had  once 
been  made.  So  he  plunged  into  the  water  and 
swam  toward  the  canoe. 

The  Indians  shot  their  arrows  at  him,  and, 
stinging  with  pain,  he  was  forced  to  turn 
back  to  the  shore.  Then  he  decided  that  he 
would  not  pursue  Ableegumooch  any  longer. 
So  he  went  back  through  the  forest  to  his  own 
wigwam. 

As  soon  as  Keoonik  had  returned  to  the  for 
est,  the  canoe  with  its  warriors  and  chief  dis 
appeared,  and  Ableegumooch  scampered  off 
into  the  woods  with  the  string  of  eels  for  his 
grandmother  to  cook  for  dinner.  And  while  he 
was  enjoying  them,  Ableegumooch  decided  that 
he  had  retaliated  upon  the  otter. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


HOW  THE  BADGEB  MADE  MES.  BEAR 
BLIND 

OLD  Mrs.  Bear,  so  they  say,  was  an  easy 
going  body  who  thought  well  of  every 
one.  Her  wigwam  was  all  by  itself,  and  her 
next-door  neighbour  was  so  far  off  that  he  was 
not  her  neighbour  at  all,  but  was  the  neighbour 
of  someone  else!  So  Mrs.  Bear  asked  an  old 
woman  to  live  with  her  for  company. 

One  cold  night  in  winter  the  two  old  women 
made  up  a  good  fire,  and  lay  down  and  went 
to  sleep— Indian-fashion — with  their  backs  to 
the  fire.  Mrs.  Bear's  feet  were  near  the  old 
lady's  head,  and  the  old  lady's  feet  were  near 
Mrs.  Bear's  head. 

Now  when  they  were  sound  asleep,  the  Bad 
ger  came  prowling  around.  He  looked  in  at  the 
door  of  the  wigwam  and  saw  the  old  women 
asleep,  heads  and  points.  At  once  he  saw  a 
chance  for  a  rare  bit  of  mischief;  so  he  went 
into  the  woods  and  cut  a  fine  long  sappling 
pole,  and  poked  one  end  of  it  into  the  fire 
until  it  was  a  burning  coal.  Then  he  touched 
the  soles  of  Mrs.  Bear's  feet  with  it.  Mrs. 
Bear  waked  and  cried  out  to  her  companion1: 

164 


ANIMAL  STORIES  165 

"Look  out,  you  are  burning  me!" 

The  old  woman  then  became  angry.  She  had 
been  sound  asleep. 

"I  have  not  touched  you!"  she  said. 

The  Badger  waited  until  the  old  women  were 
asleep  once  more,  and  then  he  touched  the  foot 
of  the  other  old  woman  with  the  hot  coal.  First 
she  dreamed  that  she  was  walking  on  hot  sand, 
and  over  roasting  rocks  in  the  summer  time; 
and  then  she  dreamed  that  the  Mohawks  were 
cooking  her  at  a  death  fire.  Then  she  awoke, 
and  seeing  where  she  was,  she  began  to  scold 
Mrs.  Bear  for  burning  her ;  and  very  soon  they 
were  having  a  merry  time  of  it  with  their  quar 
relling. 

Now  the  Badger,  seeing  the  old  women  scold 
ing  and  fighting,  began  to  laugh ;  and  he  thought 
it  so  funny  that  he  laughed  harder  and  harder, 
until  at  last,  he  split  his  sides  open,  and  fell 
down  dead  then  and  there ! 

In  the  morning,  there  lay  the  dead  Badger 
before  the  door.  The  old  women  skinned  him, 
and  dressed  him  for  their  breakfast,  and 
stretched  his  skin  to  dry  on  a  bush  outside. 
Then  they  hung  the  kettle;  the  water  was  soon 
boiling,  and  they  dropped  the  Badger  in.  But 
as  soon  as  the  Badger  began  to  scald,  he  came 
to  life.  In  a  moment  more  he  was  as  alive  as 
ever!  With  a  great  leap,  he  jumped  out  of  the 
kettle;  he  rushed  out  of  the  lodge;  he  snatched 


166      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

his  skin  from  the  bush ;  and  in  ten  seconds  more 
he  was  safe  in  the  green  wood,  with  his  skin 
on  as  good  and  tight  as  ever! 

Now  you  may  think  that  the  Badger  had  to 
be  so  quick  about  saving  himself  from  the  fire 
that  he  had  no  time  to  do  any  more  mischief. 
But  there  you  are  mistaken!  For,  even  while 
he  jumped,  his  skill  in  wickedness  did  not  for 
sake  him.  He  had  just  time  enough  to  kick 
the  edge  of  the  kettle  with  his  hind  foot,  and 
the  kettle  was  overturned.  All  the  scalding 
water  went  into  the  fire,  and  threw  up  the  hot 
ashes  with  a  great  splatter, — and  straight  into 
the  face  of  old  Mrs.  Bear  they  went,  and  put 
out  both  her  eyes! 

That  was  a  sad  plight  for  Mrs.  Bear,  but  she 
got  her  eyes  back  again  another  day. 


THE  BADGER  AND  THE  BIRDS 

THE  Badger  lived  with  his  small  brother 
near  a  forest.  When  winter  came,  the  two 
brothers  went  off  together  into  the  woods  to 
hunt.  Going  on  and  on,  at  last  they  came  to 
a  large,  beautiful  lake.  The  water  was  all  cov 
ered  with  water-fowl.  There  were  wild  geese, 
and  brant,  and  black  ducks,  and  wood-ducks,  and 
all  the  smaller  kinds  of  birds,  down  to  teal  and 
whistlers. 

They  were  delighted  to  see  so  much  game; 
but  the  little  brother  called  out  to  the  Badger, 

'  *  How  shall  we  manage  to  catch  them  ? ' ' 

"I  will  show  you  how,"  the  Badger  replied. 
"  We  must  first  build  a  large  wigwam.  It  must 
be  very  strong,  with  a  heavy,  solid  door." 

The  wigwam  was  soon  made.  Then  the  Bad 
ger  said: 

' '  Go  out  to  the  point  of  land  that  reaches  far 
into  the  lake,  and  cry  to  all  the  birds,  and  tell 
them  that  I  am  their  chief,  and  that  I  wish  to 
hold  council  with  them." 

The  brother  did  just  as  the  Badger  had  told 
him,  and  soon  vast  numbers  of  birds  flocked 
about  the  wigwam. 

187 


168      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  Badger,  dressing  himself  like  a  chief, 
sat  opposite  the  door  of  the  wigwam,  with  his 
eyes  closed  as  if  in  great  state.  Then  the  boy 
shouted : 

"You  may  enter,  and  hear  what  the  great 
chief  has  to  say." 

The  birds  flew  in,  and  took  their  seats 
about  their  chief  in  the  order  of  their  size. 
The  wild  geese  came  nearest  the  Badger,  and 
sat  down.  Then  the  ducks,  and  so  on  to  the 
smallest,  who  sat  nearest  the  door.  Last  of  all 
the  boy  entered,  and  sat  down  by  the  door,  and 
closed  it,  and  held  it  fast.  So  all  the  little 
birds  sat  nearest  him.  Then  he  said : 

"All  must  close  your  eyes,  and  keep  them 
closed  for  your  very  lives,  until  you  are  told 
to  open  them.  For  unless  you  do  this  first, 
your  eyes  will  be  blinded  when  you  behold  those 
of  the  great  chief."  So  all  the  birds,  great  and 
small,  sat  in  silence  with  their  eyes  tightly 
closed. 

Then  the  sorcerer,  the  Badger,  stepping  about 
softly,  took  the  birds  one  by  one,  and  grasped 
each  tight  by  the  wings,  and  before  the  bird 
knew  what  was  happening,  his  neck  had  been 
broken  by  the  Badger's  sharp  teeth.  Without 
any  noise,  or  the  least  fluttering,  he  killed  in 
this  way  all  the  wild  geese,  the  brant,  and  the 
wild  ducks. 

Then  the  brother  began  to  have  pity  for  the 


ANIMAL  STORIES  169 

little  birds  that  sat  near  him.  He  thought  it 
was  a  shame  to  kill  so  many,  when  they  had 
already  more  birds  than  they  could  ever  eat. 
So  he  stooped  down  and  whispered  to  a  very 
little  bird: 

"Open  your  eyes." 

The  little  bird  opened  one  eye  very  cau 
tiously,  fearing  he  might  be  blinded.  Imagine 
his  horror  when  he  saw  what  the  wicked  Badger 
was  doing! 

"We  are  all  bevng  killed!  We  are  all  being 
killed!''  he  screamed. 

Then  all  the  birds  opened  their  eyes;  and 
when  they  saw  what  was  happening,  they  began 
to  fly  about  in  the  greatest  confusion,  scream 
ing  with  terror. 

The  little  brother  dropped  down,  making  be 
lieve  he  had  been  knocked  over  in  the  confusion, 
so  that  the  door  sprang  open  wide,  and  the 
birds  flew  over  him  and  began  to  escape.  The 
Badger,  in  his  rage,  seized  as  many  as  he  could 
and  killed  them.  While  the  little  brother,  so 
that  the  Badger  would  not  suspect  he  had 
purposely  opened  the  door,  grasped  the  last 
little  bird  by  the  legs,  and  held  him  fast. 

But  he  could  not  deceive  the  wily  old  Badger, 
who  knew  very  well  what  had  happened.  He 
gave  the  little  brother  a  good  shaking  for  his 
treachery ;  and  then  he  forgave  him,  for  he  saw 
that  they  had  all  the  birds  they  could  use. 


170      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  Badger  and  his  brother  now  had  a  good 
winter's  supply  of  birds;  and  when  they  had 
plucked  and  dressed  them  all,  they  invited  in 
all  their  neighbours  and  gave  them  a  great 
feast. 


THE  BADGER  AND  THE  STAE  WIVES 

LONG-  ago  two  Star  Wives — the  Weasel  girls 
— found  themselves  at  the  top  of  a  giant 
pine  tree  unable  to  climb  down.  They  wished 
then  that  they  had  followed  the  directions  their 
Star  Husbands  had  given  them. 

"Oh,  see,  my  younger  sister,  what  trouble 
you  have  brought  upon  us  by  your  haste!  If 
you  had  only  been  content  to  wait  until  we 
heard  the  red  squirrel  sing — and  even  then  to 
wait  until  we  heard  the  striped  squirrel  sing, 
you  would  have  saved  us  from  this  danger,"  the 
older  sister  said. 

"Oh,  well,  someone  will  be  passing  soon  and 
will  help  us  down,"  the  younger  sister  an 
swered.  She  did  not  dream  that  they  would 
have  any  difficulty  in  getting  down  from  the  tall 
pine  tree. 

They  called  to  one  after  another  of  the  Indi 
ans  who  passed  by — the  Moose,  the  Bear  and  the 
Marten;  but  no  one  paid  the  least  attention  to 
their  cries.  At  last  the  Badger  happened  that 
way;  and  when  the  Weasels  called  to  him,  he 
stopped,  thinking  there  might  be  an  opportunity 
for  some  sport. 

171 


172      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

One  thing  he  did  not  know,  however,  and  that 
was  that  the  Weasels  had  gained  wisdom  by 
experience,  and  were  not  above  playing  a  trick 
of  their  own. 

Now  the  Weasel  girls  had  promised  to  marry 
anyone  who  would  rescue  them,  but  they  had 
no  intention  of  doing  this.  So  they  planned  to 
deceive  the  merry  Badger.  The  elder  sister 
took  off  her  hair-string,  and  tied  it  in  a  great 
many  knots  among  the  twigs  of  the  tree,  tan 
gling  it  until  it  would  seem  a  week's  work  to 
unwind  it. 

When  the  Badger  had  very  politely  climbed 
the  tree,  and  had  taken  the  younger  Weasel  girl 
down,  he  came  back  for  the  elder  sister.  When 
she  was  safely  on  the  ground,  she  said: 

"I  thank  you,  and  now  will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  go  up  the  tree  again,  and  get  my 
hair-string  which  is  caught  in  the  branches!  I 
prize  it  very  much,  and  it  would  break  my  heart 
if  it  were  lost  or  broken;  so  you  must  untie  it 
very  carefully,  and  while  you  are  gone  my  sis 
ter  and  I  will  build  a  beautiful  wigwam,  and  we 
will  furnish  it  as  you  never  saw  a  wigwam 
furnished  before/' 

This  the  Badger  soon  found  to  be  true.  He 
went  up  the  tree  after  the  hair-string,  and  the 
Weasels  set  to  work  to  make  their  wigwam. 
Now  the  Weasel  girls  happened  to  be  friends 
of  many  strange  creatures:  the  Thorns,  the 


ANIMAL  STORIES  173 

Burrs,  the  Briers,  and  the  Hornets — and  all 
other  kinds  of  Insects  with  wings  and  stings, 
and  they  knew  all  the  sharp-edged  Flints  of  the 
country,  too. 

So,  when  the  bower  was  built,  it  had  in  it  for 
furniture: — a  hornet's  nest  for  a  bed,  thorns 
for  a  carpet,  sharp  flints  for  a  floor,  and  an 
ant's  nest  for  a  seat. 

Now  it  took  the  Badger  until  dark  to  untie  the 
hair-string,  work  as  hard  as  he  could.  And  he 
was  so  tired  and  hungry  that  the  thought  of  the 
warm  wigwam  pleased  him.  But  he  had  no 
sooner  entered  than  the  thorns  pierced  his  face, 
and  the  flints  cut  his  feet,  so  that  he  howled 
with  pain.  Then  he  heard  a  voice  which  seemed 
to  be  that  of  the  younger  Weasel,  crying: 

"Go  to  my  sister  over  there."  When  he 
tried  to  go,  he  stepped  into  an  ant  hill,  and  the 
stinging  they  gave  him  was  worse  than  the 
scratches  of  the  Briers.  Then  near  him  he 
heard  another  voice,  which  he  thought  was  the 
older  Weasel,  saying: 

' '  Go  to  my  sister  over  there. ' '  When  he  tried 
to  plunge  through  the  darkness,  not  knowing 
where  he  was  going,  he  fell  upon  the  hornets' 
nest— and  this  was  the  worst  of  all. 

The  Badger  now  saw  that  the  Weasels  were 
not  in  the  wigwam  at  all,  but  were  outside,  ply 
ing  their  magic.  He  knew  that  he  had  been 
treated  as  he  loved  to  treat  other  people.  This 


174      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

made  him  all  the  more  furious ;  he  who  had  the 
very  worst  temper  of  all  beasts  and  men  was 
never  so  angry  before !  He  saw  the  tracks  of 
the  Weasels,  and  he  pursued  them  as  they  fled 
through  the  thick  forest  in  the  dark  night. 

The  Weasel  girls  ran  all  night  with  the  Bad 
ger  after  them;  and  in  the  morning  they  came 
to  a  broad  river  which  they  could  not  cross. 
But  on  the  edge  of  the  water  stood  a  great 
Crane. 

"Oh,  Uncle,"  they  begged,  hastening  to  him; 
"we  are  running  away  from  an  enemy.  Please 
do  take  us  over  at  once!" 

But  the  Crane  was  a  vain  old  fellow,  and 
coveted  praise  for  his  good  looks. 

"I  never  work  without  pay,"  he  said.  "You 
must  at  least  acknowledge  that  I  have  a  fine 
form  and  a  beautiful  robe.  Surely  I  have 
straight,  smooth  feathers." 

"Indeed,  indeed!"  they  answered,  "that  is 
true  enough!  Our  uncle  has  beautiful  straight 
feathers." 

"Confess  also  that  I  have  a  beautiful,  long 
straight  neck,"  the  old  Crane  said. 

"Oh,"  answered  the  Weasels,  "our  Uncle  has 
a  marvellously  long  and  straight  neck." 

"Acknowledge  that  my  legs  are  beautifully 
straight,"  the  Crane  now  demanded. 

"True,  indeed,"  they  answered.  "Our 
Uncle  has  wonderfully  long  and  straight  legs." 


ANIMAL  STORIES  175 

The  old  Crane's  vanity  and  conceit  were  sat 
isfied  by  this  time,  and  he  stretched  out  his 
neck  until  it  reached  the  bank  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  Then  the  two  Weasel  girls 
scampered  over  the  bridge — and  away  into 
safety ! 

The  Weasel  girls  had  no  sooner  reached  the 
other  bank,  then  the  Badger  dashed  down  to 
the  shore  in  pursuit. 

"Ho!  Take  me  across  the  river,  and  hurry 
about  it!"  he  commanded  the  Crane. 

Now  the  Crane  had  been  so  pleased  and  had 
been  made  so  proud  by  the  soft  words  of  the 
Weasels  that  he  was  in  no  mind  to  be  spoken 
to  rudely. 

"I  will  take  you  across,"  he  said  to  the  Bad 
ger,"  "if  you  will  bear  witness  to  my  beauty. 
Are  not  my  legs  straight?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  Badger,  "they  are  straight 
and  beautifully  painted." 

Now  the  Crane  did  not  like  the  colour  of  his 
legs,  so  he  was  not  very  much  pleased  with  the 
Badger's  remark. 

"And  are  not  my  feathers  very  smooth  and 
fine?"  he  next  demanded. 

"Yes,  smooth  and  fine — What  a  pity  though 
they  are  so  mildewed  and  dusty! 

"And  what  about  my  straight  neck?" 

"Yes,  your  neck  is  wonderfully  straight,  as 
straight  as  this!"  said  the  Badger;  and  pick- 


176      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ing  up  a  crooked  stick  he  bent  it  and  crumpled 
it  from  end  to  end. 

Of  course  the  Crane  understood  all  this  ill- 
temper  and  insincerity,  but  he  did  not  say  a 
word.  He  meekly  stretched  his  neck  until  his 
head  touched  the  opposite  bank,  and  the  Badger 
sprang  upon  this  bridge  the  Crane  had  made. 
But  when  he  was  out  in  the  stream,  where  it 
was  deepest  and  most  dangerous,  the  Crane 
shook  himself,  and  in  a  moment  the  Badger  was 
whirling  round  and  round  in  the  water  like  a 
chip  of  wood.  In  a  moment  more  he  was  dashed 
against  a  rock,  and  then  he  was  thrown  high 
and  dry  upon  the  shore,  quite  dead  except  for 
his  magical  backbone,  which  only  waited  to  be 
spoken  to,  when  it  would  have  the  power  to  call 
its  body  to  life  again. 


HOW    THE    CULLOO    PUNISHED    THE 
BADGER 

AFTER  the  ferryman,  the  Crane,  had  pun 
ished  the  Badger  for  his  rudeness,  the 
Badger's  body  lay  helpless  upon  the  rocks  until 
two  little  boys  of  the  Culloo  family  happened 
along. 

"Halloa!"  they  cried.    "What  is  this?" 

As  soon  as  they  spoke,  the  magical  backbone 
gave  new  life  to  the  body,  and  up  jumped  the 
Badger  alive  and  well  again,  and  as  bent  upon 
mischief  as  ever. 

The  Badger  now  pretended  that  he  belonged 
to  the  Culloo  tribe,  too,  and  was  very  friendly. 
He  induced  the  two  boys  to  teach  him  a  lullaby, 
and  asked  to  try  their  bows.  As  if  by  accident 
he  broke  the  bows  in  small  pieces,  and  then  he 
directed  the  boys  to  the  other  side  of  the  river 
by  a  round-about  way  to  find  their  play-fellows 
for  whom  they  were  searching. 

After  the  Culloo  boys  were  safely  away,  the 
Badger  went  to  their  home,  where  he  found  no 
one  but  their  mother.  He  told  her  that  he  was 
a  Culloo,  but  she  did  not  believe  him ;  and  even 
when  he  sang  a  Culloo  lullaby, 

177 


178     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"A  seal  skin  strap, 
A  shoulder  strap/9 

she  would  not  be  imposed  upon.  The  Badger, 
seeing  this,  suddenly  seized  her  and  bound  her. 
Then  after  he  had  eaten  as  much  venison  as 
he  could,  he  started  out  upon  his  journey  in 
search  of  the  Weasel  girls. 

Soon  afterward  the  little  Culloo  boys  reached! 
home,  and  there  they  found  their  mother  bound 
and  helpless. 

"Who  has  done  this  wicked  deed?"  they 
cried. 

"A  Badger  was  here,  and  he  tried  to  make 
me  believe  that  he  belonged  to  our  tribe.  He 
even  sang  one  of  our  lullabys  to  me ;  and  when 
I  would  not  believe  him,  he  seized  me  and  bound 
me." 

"Why,  he  is  the  very  person  who  met  us,  and 
said  that  he  was  a  Culloo,"  they  cried.  "He 
learned  that  song  from  us,  and  then  he  broke 
our  bows,  and  sent  us  away  around  to  the  other 
side  of  the  river." 

While  they  were  talking,  they  had  untied  the 
mother. 

"Now  we  will  pursue  that  Badger  and  avenge 
his  insults,"  they  said. 

They  followed  after  the  Badger,  and  teing 
of  the  bird  tribe,  they  could  travel  much  faster 
than  he  could,  and  goon  overtook  him.  But  all 


ANIMAL  STORIES  179 

they  could  do  was  to  snatch  his  mittens,  when 
the  Badger  slipped  away  under  cover.  Then 
the  boys  returned  to  their  wigwam,  and  soon 
an  uncle,  Kakakooch,  the  Crow,  arrived.  He 
hurried  after  the  Badger,  and  succeeded  in 
snatching  his  cap. 

* '  Thank  you ! ' '  said  the  Badger.  ' '  You  have 
done  me  a  great  favour.  I  have  been  getting 
quite  warm,  and  now  I  feel  much  better. " 

Soon  after,  another  relative,  Kitpoo,  the 
eagle,  arrived.  He  too  started  in  pursuit,  and 
managed  to  get  the  Badger's  coat. 

"Oh,  thank  you!  Thank  you!"  called  back 
the  Badger.  "I  was  just  wishing  that  my 
brother  were  here  to  take  my  coat  off  for  me. '  * 

Then  came  the  giant  Cidloo,  and  he  vowed 
that  he  would  punish  the  Badger  well  for  all 
his  mischief.  He  caught  him  by  his  back,  and 
carried  him  up  to  the  top  of  a  high  cliff,  up  to 
the  very  top  of  the  sky  itself,  and  set  him  down. 

The  Badger  could  look  down  upon  his  native 
land,  and  it  was  so  far  away  that  it  looked 
smooth  and  green  like  a  wigwam  newly  car 
peted  with  fir  boughs.  The  Badger  did  not  feel 
easy  in  his  mind,  by  any  means,  but  he  always 
turned  everything  into  sport.  So  he  began  to 
sing, 

"Our  country  now  lost, 
Seems  clearly  to  us, 
As  though  it  were  all  spread  with  boughs. 


180      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Hei,  ho,  he  hum! 

Hei,  ho,  he,  hum! 

Our  country,  now  lost, 

Seems  now  to  us, 

To  be  blue,  like  the  clear,  blue  sky." 

Now  the  Badger  might  sing  and  make  sport 
if  he  pleased.  The  Culloo  had  not  brought  him 
there  for  fun,  but  to  give  him  a  dreadful  pun 
ishment  for  his  mischief  and  his  sins.  So  the 
giant  Culloo  seized  him  and  threw  him  over  the 
edge  of  the  cliff,  that  he  might  be  dashed  to 
pieces  upon  the  rocks  below. 

Down  headlong  fell  the  Badger  at  a  terrible 
rate,  but  even  then  his  merriment  did  not  fail 
him.  His  enemy,  the  Culloo,  was  closely  pur 
suing  him.  The  Badger  heard  him  coming, 
swishing  his  wings. 

"Hurrah  for  a  race!"  called  out  the  Badger, 
making  a  noise  to  imitate  the  swish  of  the 
Culloo 's  great  wings. 

But  as  the  Badger  came  nearer  to  the  earth 
he  grew  sober.  He  was  falling  so  fast,  he 
knew  that  he  would  soon  be  dashed  to  pieces 
against  the  rocks. 

"Oh,  spare  my  poor  backbone!"  he  shouted — 
and  he  said  it  just  in  time,  for  in  another  in 
stant  he  was  dashed  into  fragments  against  the 
rocks!  Now  the  backbone  of  the  Badger  had 
been  enchanted  into  safety  by  the  magical  cry, 


ANIMAL  STORIES  181 

and  so  this  lay  unhurt  upon  the  rocks.  But  it 
had  no  power  of  itself  to  put  the  body  together 
again,  until  someone  had  spoken  to  it. 

It  happened  that  the  Badger  fell  in  his  own 
neighbourhood,  and  soon  his  brother  came 
along  to  where  the  backbone  lay.  The  younger 
brother  at  once  recognised  the  backbone,  and 
said: 

"Pray,  what  is  all  this  about?  What  in  life 
are  you  doing  here?"  At  this  the  backbone 
began  to  speak,  but  instead  of  answering  these 
questions  of  the  brother,  it  called  to  the  differ 
ent  parts  of  its  body: 

"Nooloogoon,  ba!  Ho!  My  leg,  come 
hither !"  And  when  the  legs  had  done  so,  he 
called  again: 

"Npetun  ogum  ba  ho!—M.y  arm,  ho!  Come 
hither!'7 

At  last  every  part  of  the  body  had  come  to 
gether,  and  there  the  mischievous  Badger  stood, 
the  veritable  Badger  that  had  been  dashed  to 
pieces  by  his  fall  from  the  sky. 


THE  BADGER  AND  THE  EOCK 
MAGICIAN 

WHEN  the  Badger  had  been  rescued  by  his 
brother,  after  the  Culloo's  punishment, 
the  two  walked  along  until  they  came  to  the  top 
of  a  high  mountain.  Great  rocks  were  lying 
all  about.  There  was  one  rock  so  near  the  edge 
of  the  slope  that  it  suggested  an  opportunity 
for  sport  to  the  Badger.  He  turned  it  over 
with  a  pole,  and  away  it  went  rolling  down  the 
mountain.  The  two  brothers  ran  after  it,  chal 
lenging  it  to  a  race.  By  the  time  the  rock  had 
come  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  the  Badger 
and  his  brother  had  gained  upon  it;  and  soon 
they  passed  it  and  left  it  far  behind. 

The  Badger  and  his  brother  went  on  until 
they  reached  a  good  resting  place,  and  there 
they  prepared  to  spend  the  night.  They  built 
a  fire  and  killed  a  musk-rat  and  began  to  cook 
it  for  their  evening  meal.  While  it  was  cook 
ing,  they  heard  a  great  noise  that  seemed  to 
come  from  the  direction  of  the  rock  which  they 
had  challenged  to  a  race.  They  looked,  and 
what  should  they  see,  but  the  rock  racing  after 

182 


ANIMAL  STORIES  183 

them!  Now,  the  rock  was  really  a  magician  in 
disguise.  He  had  been  resting  after  his  race 
down  the  mountain,  and  now  he  was  challenging 
the  Badger  and  his  brother  to  go  on. 

The  Badger  and  his  brother  fled — but  in 
vain !  They  could  not  keep  in  front  of  the  rock. 
On  it  came  toward  them,  tearing  down  trees, 
and  clearing  a  road  for  itself.  They  ran  to  a 
hill,  but  the  hill  could  not  help  them;  for  up 
after  them  came  the  rock,  and  the  Badger  had 
time  only  to  utter  his  magic  words,  "Noogoon 
ooskoodeskuck!  Spare  my  backbone!"  when 
the  rock  struck  him,  and  rolled  over  him  and 
ground  him  to  powder. 

The  younger  brother  had  managed  to  slip  out 
of  the  way,  and  so  was  uninjured.  When  all  was 
still,  he  returned  to  the  place  where  his  brother 
had  been  killed.  There  lay  the  backbone  un 
injured  ! 

"What  are  you  lying  there  for?"  he  asked 
of  it. 

Without  pausing  to  answer  the  brother's 
question,  the  backbone  began  calling  the  differ 
ent  parts  of  his  body  together. 

"What,  ho!  My  arms,  come  hither!  Ho! 
My  legs,  my  body !  Come  hither ! ' '  And  soon 
the  Badger  was  as  alive  as  ever.  He  stood  up 
and  looked  around  in  amazement. 

"What  have  I  been  doing  here?"  he  asked 
his  brother. 


184     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Why,  don't  you  remember?  The  great 
stone  over  there  pursued  you  and  destroyed 
you,"  the  brother  replied. 

"Oh,  did  he?"  said  the  Badger.  "Then  I 
will  destroy  him." 

So  the  Badger  and  his  brother  attacked  the 
rock.  They  worked  over  it  with  fire  and  ham 
mer;  and  after  many  days  it  was  reduced  to 
powder.  They  blew  the  powder  into  the  air, 
and  instantly  it  was  transformed  into  black 
flies,  all  retaining  the  hatred  and  spite  of  the 
old  rock.  They  attacked  men  and  bit  them 
most  viciously,  in  retaliation  for  having  been 
conquered  by  them* 


HOW  THE  BADGER  MADE  THE  MAG 
ICAL  FIRE 

ONE  cold  day  in  winter,  the  Badger — who 
was  also  a  Wolverine,  or  a  Racoon,  just  as 
he  pleased — set  out  upon  a  journey.  That 
night  he  spent  in  the  lodge  of  the  Chief  of  the 
Wolves.  When  the  Badger  was  about  to  start 
upon  his  journey  again,  the  Wolf  Chief  said  to 
him, 

"  Uncle,  you  have  still  three  more  days  to 
travel,  in  a  land  where  there  is  neither  wigwam 
nor  fire;  and  it  will  be  poor  camping  without 
a  fire.  Now,  I  have  a  great  charm  by  which 
I  can  give  you  three  fires,  but  no  more.  Yet 
these  will  do,  one  for  each  night,  until  you 
reach  your  journey's  end.  Gather  small  sticks 
and  place  them  together,  as  boys  do  when  they 
make  wigwams  for  sport.  Then  jump  over 
them  again  and  again  until  a  blaze  springs  up 
through  the  sticks." 

As  the  Badger  travelled  on  through  the  snow, 
he  could  not  help  thinking  about  his  secret  of 
the  fire,  which  no  one  but  the  wolves  and  him 
self  knew.  He  wondered  whether  it  were  really 

185 


186      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

true,  for  he  trusted  no  one,  being  so  deceitful 
himself. 

At  last,  he  was  so  curious  to  try  the  charm 
that,  although  he  had  made  but  a  half -hour's 
journey,  he  could  wait  no  longer.  So  he  gath 
ered  his  sticks  together  and  arranged  them  as 
the  Wolf  Chief  had  directed.  Then  he  jumped 
over  them;  and  lo!  At  once  his  sticks  were 
blazing  with  fire. 

The  Badger  stopped  to  warm  himself  by  the 
fire,  and  then  went  on  his  way  again.  Very 
soon  he  began  to  feel  cold,  and  he  thought  how 
pleasant  it  would  be  to  have  a  warm  fire.  So 
he  placed  sticks  together  again,  and  jumped 
over  them;  and  as  before  there  arose  a  blaze. 
The  Badger  was  pleased.  But  this  was  his  sec 
ond  fire,  and  he  had  still  three  cold  nights  before 
he  would  reach  the  end  of  his  journey. 

He  went  on  a  little  further,  and  although  it 
was  only  afternoon,  he  began  to  think  about  his 
third  fire. 

"Now,  who  knows,"  he  thought,  "but  the 
weather  may  take  a  turn  to  a  thaw,  and  give  us 
a  warm  night?  The  clouds  look  as  though  the 
wind  would  soon  be  southwesterly.  Have  I  not 
heard  my  grandmother  say  that  such  a  red 
colour  meant  something  of  the  sort?  Any 
how,  I  will  take  a  chance,  for  I  need  a  fire." 

The  Badger  again  arranged  the  sticks  and 
jumped  over  them,  and  soon  was  enjoying  a  fine 


By  permission,  copyright  by  Funk  d-  Wagnalls. 
Badger  making  magical  fire  as  the  wolf  had   directed 


ANIMAL  STORIES  187 

blaze.  This  was  his  last  fire,  and  it  was  not 
yet  the  first  night. 

Now,  when  after  nightfall  the  Badger  came 
to  his  first  camping  place,  it  grew  cold  in  earn 
est.  Thinking  that  what  was  good  once  ought 
to  be  good  again,  he  gathered  more  sticks  and 
arranged  them  just  as  he  had  done  the  others. 
He  began  to  jump  over  them ;  but  there  was  no 
fire.  He  kept  on  jumping,  and  when  he  had 
jumped  twenty  or  thirty  times,  there  arose  a 
little  smoke.  He  jumped  and  jumped;  but  try 
as  hard  as  he  might,  he  could  make  no  blaze 
appear. 

Still  the  Badger  kept  on  jumping,  and  he 
vowed  that  he  would  jump  until  he  had  made  a 
blaze  or  he  would  burst!  So  he  kept  on  fast 
and  furious,  but  not  even  one  spark  could  he 
raise.  At  last  the  Badger  was  so  tired  that  he 
fell  down  in  the  snow,  and  he  was  soon  frozen 
to  death. 

But  the  Badger  must  have  come  to  life  again, 
somehow,  for  we  still  have  the  spirit  of  Evil 
with  us. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


FAIRY  TALES 


THE  SILLY  SON 

THERE  was  once  a  king,  who  owned  a 
large  farm.  On  this  farm  a  man  lived 
and  paid  rent  to  the  king.  This  man  had  but 
one  child,  a  son,  whom  every  one  thought  half 
witted,  because  he  was  always  doing  silly,  stupid 
things. 

After  a  while  the  father  died;  but,  as  he  had 
left  a  little  money,  the  mother  was  able  to  pay 
the  rent  for  a  time.  At  last  there  came  a  day 
when  there  was  no  money,  and  very  soon  the 
rent  must  be  paid  to  the  king.  The  mother  said 
to  her  son: 

"The  king  will  call  in  a  day  or  two  for  his 
money  and  we  have  none  for  him.  What  shall 
we  do?" 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  the  boy. 

So  the  mother  chose  one  of  their  finest  cows, 
and  sent  the  boy  to  market  to  sell  it.  Jack 
started  off  with  the  cow,  and  as  he  passed  a 
house  standing  near  the  road,  a  man  on  the 
steps  called  out  to  him : 

" Where  are  you  going  with  that  cow?" 

"I  am  driving  her  to  market  to  sell  her," 
said  Jack. 

191 


192      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Come  in  and  rest  yourself,"  said  the  man, 
pleasantly;  and  Jack  was  so  tired  that  he 
went  in  and  sat  down. 

"I  want  you  to  give  me  that  cow,"  said  the 
man. 

"I  can't  do  it,"  said  Jack,  "but  I  shall  be 
glad  to  sell  her  to  you,  for  we  are  in  need  of 
money." 

"Oh,  I  will  not  buy  the  cow,"  the  stranger 
answered,  "but  I  would  like  you  to  give  her  to 
me."  This  Jack  stoutly  refused  to  do. 

Then  the  man  asked : 

"Are  you  hungry?  Will  you  not  have  some 
thing  to  eat?" 

Jack  was  always  hungry ;  so  he  said  he  would 
be  very  glad  to  have  something  to  eat. 

The  man  set  before  him  a  small  dish,  and  on 
the  dish  was  a  tiny  piece  of  food.  Jack  looked 
at  the  food,  and  at  last  tasted  it.  He  found  it 
very  good,  and  began  to  eat  it.  He  ate  and  ate, 
until  he  cared  for  no  more.  Still  the  food  on 
the  tiny  dish  had  grown  no  less.  Then  Jack 
tried  to  stop  eating,  and  found  he  could  not 
do  that.  He  had  to  eat  whether  he  would  or 
not.  At  last  he  became  frightened,  and  called 
out  to  the  man : 

"Take  away  your  food;  I  can't  stop  eating 
it!" 

' '  Give  me  your  cow  and  I  will, ' '  the  stranger 
answered. 


FAIRY  TALES  193 

"I  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Jack. 
"Take  away  your  food!" 

"Then  eat  away  until  you  have  enough/' 
said  the  man;  and  eat  poor  Jack  did  until  he 
began  to  think  that  he  would  die.  He  ate  until 
he  could  scarcely  breathe,  and  then  he  cried  out : 

"Only  take  away  your  food,  and  I  will  give 
you  the  cow."  So  the  man  took  the  cow,  and 
in  return  gave  Jack  the  tiny  dish  of  food  to 
take  away  with  him. 

Jack  went  home  with  the  magical  food  in  his 
pocket;— but  he  had  lost  his  cow.  As  soon  as 
his  mother  saw  him  coming,  she  called  out: 

"How  much  did  you  get  for  the  cow,  Jack?" 

6 1  Oh,  mother,  I  have  been  robbed  of  the  cow ! ' ' 
and  then  he  told  her  about  the  stranger. 

"You  stupid  boy,  you  are  a  thousand  fools!" 
she  cried,  and  took  up  the  fire  shovel  to  strike 
him. 

Jack  dodged  her,  and  taking  a  bit  of  the  food 
from  his  pocket,  he  managed  to  put  it  into  her 
mouth  as  she  went  by  him.  She  stopped, 
charmed  by  the  wonderful  taste. 

"What  is  that  delicious  taste?"  she  cried. 
Jack  gave  her  the  dish,  and  she  began  eating 
greedily,  while  he  looked  on.  Soon  she  had 
taken  enough,  and  then  too  much! 

"Take  away  the  platter,  Jack,"  she  said, 
"for  I  cannot  stop  eating." 

"Will  you  beat  me,  then?"  he  asked. 


194      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STOKIES 

"Yes,  I  will,  and  beat  you  soundly  when  1 
have  a  chance ! ' '  she  cried,  all  the  more  angry 
now  she  saw  that  Jack  had  caught  her  in  a 
trap. 

"Very  well,  then,  eat  away,"  said  Jack. 

There  was  nothing  for  her  to  do  but  to  eat 
away  as  fast  as  she  could,  until  she  could  bear 
it  no  longer.  Then  she  cried  out: 

"Jack,  if  you  will  only  take  this  food  away, 
I  promise  you  I  will  not  beat  you."  So  Jack 
took  away  the  food. 

The  next  morning  Jack  was  sent  off  to  mar 
ket  with  another  cow.  As  he  passed  the  house 
where  he  had  stopped  the  day  before,  he  found 
the  same  man  waiting  for  him  on  the  doorstep. 
This  time  Jack  was  not  to  be  caught. 

"Be  off  with  you,  you  evil  spirit,"  he  cried. 
"You  robbed  me  yesterday;  you  will  not  do  it 
again  to-day." 

The  man  took  off  his  belt,  and  threw  it  down 
in  the  middle  of  the  road.  Instantly  the  belt 
sprang  up  around  both  Jack  and  the  cow.  It- 
bound  the  cow's  legs  fast  to  her  body,  and 
bound  poor  Jack  to  the  side  of  the  cow.  There 
in  the  road  they  lay,  unable  to  stir. 

"Untie  me!"  cried  Jack,  struggling  to  break 
the  belt. 

"Give  me  your  cow  and  I  will,"  said  the 
stranger. 

"I  will  do  no  such  thing,"  said  Jack. 


FAIRY  TALES  195 

"Then  lie  there  until  you  do,"  said  the  man. 

The  belt  began  to  squeeze  Jack  and  his  cow 
together  so  tightly  that  they  could  scarcely 
breathe.  At  last  he  gasped: 

"Only  let  me  go,  and  I  will  give  you  the  cow." 
So  the  man  took  this  cow  too,  and  in  return 
for  her  gave  the  belt  to  Jack. 

Jack  went  home,  and  told  his  mother  that  the 
same  man  had  robbed  him  again.  Of  course 
she  was  more  angry  than  before.  She  called 
him  all  the  bad  names  she  could  think  of,  and 
said  she  would  beat  him  and  kill  him,  and  ran 
to  get  the  axe.  Jack  took  off  his  belt  and  threw 
it  upon  the  floor.  Instantly  it  sprang  up  and 
bound  the  poor  woman  hand  and  foot,  so  that 
she  cried  out  for  help. 

"Will  you  beat  me  then?"  asked  Jack. 

"Indeed  and  I  will!  Untie  me,  you  scamp!" 
she  cried. 

The  belt  began  to  squeeze  her  all  the  tighter, 
and  when  she  could  do  no  more  than  gasp  for 
breath,  she  promised  Jack  that  she  would  not 
beat  him,  if  he  would  only  untie  her.  So  Jack 
untied  her,  and  she  kept  her  word. 

But  the  rent  was  not  paid  yet.  So  the  mother 
took  another  cow,  and  started  Jack  off  to  mar 
ket  with  her.  Away  went  Jack,  driving  the  cow 
before  him;  but  when  he  came  to  the  house, 
there  was  the  same  man  waiting  for  him  again. 

"Give  me  your  cow,"  called  the  man. 


196      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

' ' Give  you  my  cow  indeed!"  cried  Jack. 
' '  I  will  give  you  a  stone  on  your  head  instead. ' ' 
Jack  picked  up  a  large  stone,  and  was  just  about 
to  throw  it,  when  the  man  pulled  out  a  tiny 
flute  from  his  pocket  and  began  to  play  upon 
it.  The  stone  dropped  from  Jack's  hand.  His 
arms  and  his  legs  began  to  twitch,  and  before  he 
knew  what  he  was  about,  he  began  to  dance. 
The  cow  joined  him,  and  both  together  danced 
away  with  all  their  might. 

"Hold!  Hold!"  cried  Jack.  "Stop  your 
music,  and  let  me  catch  my  breath." 

"Give  me  your  cow  and  I  will,"  said  the 
man. 

"I  will  not  do  it!"  answered  Jack. 

"Then  dance  away,"  said  the  man,  and  poor 
Jack  danced  until  he  was  ready  to  drop  from 
fatigue,  and  was  glad  to  give  up  the  cow  to 
have  the  music  stopped.  The  man  took  the 
cow,  and  gave  Jack  the  flute.  Jack  went  home 
without  his  cow  or  his  money,  and  was  obliged 
to  tell  his  mother  for  the  third  time  that  he  had 
been  trapped. 

This  time  her  anger  knew  no  bounds.  She 
vowed  that  she  would  kill  him,  and  seized  an 
iron  to  strike  him.  But  Jack  whipped  out  his 
magical  flute  and  began  to  play  as  if  his  life 
depended  upon  it,  as  indeed  it  did.  The  old 
woman  was  charmed  by  the  music  and  danced 
and  danced,  scolding  away  all  the  while,  telling 


FAIRY  TALES  197 

Jack  to  cease  his  playing  so  that  she  might 
stop.  But  all  Jack  would  say  was : 

"  Will  you  beat  me,  then?  Will  you  beat  me, 
then?" 

"Indeed  I  will!  Indeed  I  will!"  his  mother 
kept  crying.  Soon  she  was  so  tired  that  she 
could  cry  no  longer;  she  could  scarcely  keep 
on  her  feet,  but  swayed  to  and  fro.  At  last  she 
fell  and  struck  her  head  upon  the  floor — and 
then  she  was  ready  to  promise  not  to  beat  Jack, 
if  he  would  only  stop  his  playing. 

But  all  this  while  the  rent  had  not  been  paid. 

One  day  the  mother  said,  "  To-day  the  king 
will  be  here.  What  can  we  do?" 

"I  will  pay  him,"  said  Jack.  "You  need 
think  no  more  about  it. ' '  He  took  some  earthen 
dishes  and  broke  them  until  they  were  in  small 
pieces,  and  put  them  into  a  bag.  He  packed  the 
bag  as  full  as  it  would  hold,  and  sealed  the 
strings  with  tar. 

Soon  the  king  and  two  servants  came  to  the 
door.  The  frightened  old  woman  ran  and  hid. 
But  Jack  went  to  meet  them,  and  asked  them  in. 
Then  he  brought  in  the  bag,  and  placed  it  upon 
the  table,  making  it  rattle  and  chink  like  a  bag 
of  money.  Then  he  brought  his  little  magic 
platter  and  said  to  the  king : 

"My  father,  before  he  died,  told  me  to  set  this 
most  delicious  food  before  you,  when  you  came 
to  the  house." 


198      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  king  fell  into  the  trap.  He  tasted  the 
food,  and  then  began  eating  heartily.  The  ser 
vants  became  bewitched,  too,  and  began  to  eat 
the  magical  food. 

Meantime  Jack  made  believe  that  he  was  pre 
paring  to  count  the  money.  He  hurried  about, 
going  from  one  room  to  another,  as  though  he 
had  forgotten  something. 

All  this  time  the  king  and  his  servants  were 
eating  from  the  dish  as  fast  as  they  could. 
Soon  they  began  to  feel  that  they  had  eaten 
enough,  but  they  could  neither  stop  nor  push 
the  magical  platter  away.  They  called  to  Jack 
to  come  and  take  away  the  food,  but  Jack  was 
too  busy  to  notice  them  or  hear  them.  At  last, 
when  they  were  ready  to  fall  over  in  their  dis 
tress,  the  king  said: 

1 '  Jack,  if  you  will  only  take  the  platter  away, 
I  will  give  you  the  rent,  and  the  house,  and  the 
stock,  and  the  farm,  and  everything  here  that  is 
mine." 

Jack  was  ready  to  let  them  go  on  these  terms, 
and  the  king  and  his  servants  were  glad  indeed 
to  leave  everything  for  the  widow  and  Jack  as 
they  had  promised. 

When  they  had  gone,  the  old  woman  came 
out  of  her  hiding-place,  and  this  time  she 
had  only  words  of  praise  for  her  stupid 
son. 

"Now  that  you  will  be  able  to  get  along  with- 


FAIRY  TALES  199 

out  me,"  said  Jack,  "I  will  go  away  to  seek  my 
fortune." 

So  Jack  went  away  to  seek  his  fortune.  He 
travelled  on  for  a  long  time,  and  at  last  he  came 
to  a  town  where  a  king  lived.  The  king  had 
one  beautiful  daughter  who  had  many  suitors; 
and  he  had  promised  her  hand  to  the  first  man 
who  could  make  her  laugh  three  times. 

Now  it  happened  that  Jack  was  very  ill- 
shaped,  ugly  and  awkward.  He  strolled  about 
the  village  listening  to  all  the  gossip,  and  at 
last  he  went  to  the  king's  palace  among  all  the 
suitors  and  visitors. 

"Why  are  you  here?"  the  servants  asked  him. 
At  first  he  would  make  no  answer,  but  when 
they  asked  him  again,  he  said: 

"Is  it  true  that  the  princess  will  marry  the 
first  man  who  will  make  her  laugh  three  times?" 

"Yes,"  they  said,  "it  is  true." 

"Then,"  said  Jack,  "I  will  stay." 

So  Jack  was  taken  into  the  room  where  the 
princess  was  waiting  with  all  the  suitors  and 
judges  of  the  trial.  At  once  he  took  out  his 
magical  dish,  and  asked  the  princess  to  taste 
the  food.  She  took  a  bit  on  the  tip  of  her 
tongue,  and  when  she  found  it  so  delicious  she 
began  to  eat,  and  offered  some  to  all  the  others. 
To  everybody's  astonishment,  the  food  upon 
the  plate  grew  no  less,  although  they  all  ate  un 
til  they  thought  they  could  eat  no  more.  Then 


200      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

they  tried  to  stop,  but  no  one  could,  and  no  one 
could  even  push  the  plate  away.  So  they  cried 
to  Jack  to  take  the  food  away. 

"I  will  upon  one  condition, "  said  Jack. 
"The  princess  must  laugh/' 

The  princess  did  not  know  what  to  do.  She 
had  expected  to  laugh  from  pleasure,  not  from 
pain. 

"I  will  not  do  it,"  she  said. 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  Jack,  "yon  may  all 
go  on  eating."  So  they  were  obliged  to  eat  and 
eat  all  the  faster,  until  they  were  ready  to  die 
with  pain.  Finally,  when  the  princess  could  en 
dure  it  no  longer,  she  began  to  laugh  as  heartily 
as  she  could,  thinking: 

"He  will  not  make  me  laugh  a  second  time." 

As  soon  as  Jack  had  taken  away  the  magical 
food,  all  the  suitors  flew  at  him  to  drive  him 
out  of  the  palace.  Quick  as  a  flash  he  untied 
his  magical  belt,  and  threw  it  upon  the  floor. 
Instantly  the  princess  and  all  the  suitors  were 
bound  together  in  a  bundle,  and  lying  in  a  help 
less  heap  upon  the  floor. 

'  *  Untie  us ! "  cried  the  princess. 

"Laugh  then,"  said  Jack. 

"I  will  not  laugh,"  said  the  princess. 

' '  Very  well  then, ' '  said  Jack,  * '  stay  where  you 
are."  The  belt  began  to  squeeze  harder  than 
ever,  until  the  suitors  and  the  princess  could 
bear  the  pain  no  longer.  Then  the  princess  be- 


FAIRY  TALES  201 

gan  to  laugh.  As  soon  as  she  had  done  this  the 
belt  was  loosened  and  all  were  free. 

No  sooner  were  the  suitors  on  their  feet  again 
than  they  all  drew  their  weapons  and  rushed  at 
Jack  to  kill  him.  But  hefore  they  could  reach 
him,  he  had  whipped  out  his  flute  and  begun  to 
play.  They  stopped  and  commenced  dancing; 
princess,  suitors,  umpires,  guards, — all  were 
whirling  in  a  merry  maze — all  charmed  by  the 
music  of  the  magical  flute. 

They  danced  and  they  danced  until  they 
thought  they  could  dance  no  longer;  and  then 
they  tried  to  stop.  But  they  could  not;  they 
must  dance  all  the  faster. 

"Stop  your  playing !"  they  shouted. 

"I  will,"  said  Jack,  "when  the  princess 
laughs." 

But  the  princess  was  determined  not  to  laugh 
this  time,  come  what  might,  come  what  may. 
She  danced  and  danced,  faster  and  faster,  all 
the  time  trying  to  stop,  until  at  last  she  could 
stand  no  longer,  and  fell,  striking  her  head  upon 
the  floor.  Then  she  was  ready  to  yield  to  her 
fate.  She  began  to  laugh  heartily;  the  music 
ceased  and  all  stopped  dancing.  The  umpires 
withdrew  to  decide  the  case — and  Jack  walked 
away. 

When  the  king  heard  that  a  stranger  had  come 
to  the  court,  and  that  he  had  made  the  princess 


202      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

laugh,  he  sent  for  him.  But  when  Jack  ap 
peared  before  him  so  ugly  and  stupid-looking, 
the  king  was  so  digusted  that  he  declared  then 
and  there  that  Jack  should  not  marry  the  prin 
cess. 

But  of  course  it  must  not  be  known  abroad 
that  the  king  had  broken  his  promise — so  he 
planned  to  kill  Jack,  and  to  put  someone  else 
in  his  place.  Jack  was  seized  and  thrown  into  a 
den  with  wild  animals.  The  animals  leaped 
upon  him  to  devour  him,  but  Jack  threw  down 
his  magical  belt,  which  quickly  wound  itself 
about  them,  binding  their  legs  fast  to  their 
bodies — while  Jack  sat  down  quietly  to  see  what 
would  happen  next. 

Meantime  the  word  was  passed  about  that  a 
suitor  had  won  the  hand  of  the  princess,  and 
that  the  marriage  would  be  celebrated  that  very 
evening.  All  went  merrily  until  the  ceremony 
was  about  to  begin.  Then  something  strange 
happened.  The  bridegroom  began  to  dance  and 
jump  about  like  a  madman.  He  leaped  into  the 
air,  tearing  at  his  face  and  clothes,  and  then 
fled  from  the  room.  The  terrified  princess 
screamed,  and  ran  about,  calling: 

"He  is  mad!     The  bridegroom  is  mad!" 

Another  bridegroom  was  now  sent  forward  by 
the  king,  but  as  soon  as  he  took  his  place  beside 
the  princess  to  be  married,  he  too  began  jump 
ing  about  like  a  madman,  just  as  the  other  had 


FAIRY  TALES  203 

done,  and  fled  from  the  room  and  was  seen  no 
more. 

Now  all  this  was  the  work  of  Jack  and  his 
flute.  The  madness  that  had  overcome  the  suit 
ors  had  been  caused  by  hosts  of  invisible  hornets 
which  had  entered  through  the  keyhole,  and  had 
stung  them  from  head  to  foot.  While  all  the 
preparations  were  being  made  in  the  palace, 
Jack  had  sat  in  the  den  among  the  wild  animals, 
playing  away  upon  his  flute  as  hard  as  ever  he 
could.  It  was  one  of  the  powers  of  the  magical 
flute,  when  the  owner  was  hard  pressed,  to  sum 
mon  hornets  to  attack  an  enemy,  and  now  Jack 
had  been  obliged  to  use  this  power. 

At  last  the  king,  who  all  the  time  suspected 
what  was  happening,  was  willing  to  admit  that 
he  was  beaten.  He  felt  sure  that  Jack  must 
still  be  alive  and  exercising  his  magic.  He  sent 
messengers  to  the  den  for  him.  When  they 
reached  the  place  they  found  the  animals  all  tied 
together  by  the  magical  belt,  and  there  was  a 
heavy  mist  all  about  so  they  could  not  see  Jack. 
The  messengers  were  frightened  and  went  back 
to  the  king  and  told  him  what  they  had  seen. 

"Ah!"  said  the  king,  "it  is  just  as  I  thought. 
The  young  man  is  a  magician.  Go  again,  and 
if  you  can  find  him,  bring  him  to  me." 

So  the  messengers  went  back  to  the  den,  and 
this  time  they  found  Jack;  but  it  was  not  the 
same  Jack,  for  he  had  changed  his  appearance 


204      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

so  that  they  scarcely  knew  him.  He  was  ao 
handsome  that  they  now  admired  him  as  much 
as  they  had  despised  him  before. 

The  wedding  was  celebrated  with  great 
splendour.  Jack  built  a  beautiful  palace  for 
himself  and  the  princess,  and  when  the  old  king 
died,  Jack  became  king  and  ruled  in  his  place. 


THE  PRINCE  WHO  WENT  SEEKING  HIS 
SISTEES 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  king  who 
was  so  very  rich  that  he  built  a  house  to 
keep  his  gold  in.  There  was  nothing  else  kept 
there,  but  pieces  of  gold.  Soldiers  guarded  it 
night  and  day.  Whenever  the  king  needed 
money,  he  would  go  to  the  money  house  and  get 
it  from  the  soldiers. 

It  happened  that  the  king  became  very  fond 
of  wine.  He  drank  all  of  his  own  wine,  and 
then  he  began  to  buy  more.  Of  course  he  used 
a  great  deal  of  gold  to  pay  for  the  wine ;  and  he 
took  so  much  of  it  that  the  queen  at  last  went  to 
the  soldiers  and  said, 

"The  gold  you  are  guarding  really  does  not 
belong  to  the  king.  He  holds  it  in  trust.  It  is 
the  people  's  money.  In  time  of  famine  it  should 
be  used  to  buy  grain  and  corn  to  keep  our 
people  from  starving.  The  king  is  using  it  for 
himself ;  he  must  not.  So  when  he  comes  again 
and  asks  you  for  more  gold,  you  must  tell  him 
that  it  is  all  gone/' 

The  next  time  the  king  asked  the  soldiers  for 

205 


206      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

gold,  they  told  him  there  was  no  more  gold ;  he 
had  used  it  all. 

The  king  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He  must 
have  his  wine!  He  must  have  gold!  What 
should  he  do?  He  went  out  into  a  field,  nearby, 
and  walked  about,  puzzling  over  his  trouble, 
and  all  the  time  he  was  longing  for  his  wine. 
Suddenly  a  stranger  stood  before  him. 

"What  do  you  wish?"  asked  the  king. 

"I  should  like  to  have  your  eldest  daughter 
for  my  wife,"  the  stranger  answered.  He  was 
a  tall,  well-dressed  man,  and  looked  as  though 
he  might  be  very  wealthy. 

1 1  You  may  have  her  for  your  wife, ' '  the  king 
said,  "but  you  must  give  me  much  gold  for  her." 

"  How  much  gold  shall  I  give  you  I ' '  the  stran 
ger  asked. 

"Oh,  a  cart  full  of  gold.  Bring  it  here  to  me 
in  the  morning,  and  you  may  have  my  daugh 
ter,"  the  king  said. 

4 '  I  will  be  at  this  spot  with  a  cart  full  of  gold 
in  the  morning;  but  I  must  make  one  condition 
— you  must  not  ask  where  I  am  going  to  take 
your  daughter.  You  must  not  try  to  find  her," 
the  stranger  said. 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  who  was  becoming 
anxious  to  get  the  gold,  "I  will  make  you  the 
promise.  I  will  bring  my  daughter  to  you  here 
in  the  morning." 

So    the    next    morning    the    king    took    his 


FAIRY  TALES  207 

daughter  to  the  field,  and  there  they  found  the 
stranger  waiting  with  his  cart  full  of  money. 
The  stranger  gave  the  gold  to  the  king,  and 
went  away  with  the  beautiful  princess,  and  no 
one  knew  where  he  had  taken  her.  The  king 
was  so  glad  to  have  all  this  gold  for  wine  that 
he  did  not  think  much  about  his  daughter  whom 
he  had  sold.  He  thought  only  of  what  the  cart 
full  of  gold  would  buy;  and  he  supposed  it 
would  last  a  long,  long  time. 

So  the  king  began  to  drink  more  than  ever, 
and  to  spend  his  money  as  fast  as  he  pleased. 
What  was  his  surprise  one  day  to  find  his  gold 
nearly  gone;  and  very  soon,  it  was  all  gone! 

The  king  walked  out  into  the  fields  once  more, 
thinking  what  he  could  do.  And  there  he  met 
another  stranger,  just  as  prosperous  appearing 
as  the  other  had  been. 

"Will  you  give  me  your  second  daughter?" 
the  stranger  asked. 

"I  will,  if  you  will  give  me  a  cart  full  of 
gold,"  the  king  said. 

"I  will  give  you  a  cart  full  of  gold;  but  it 
must  be  on  the  condition  that  you  promise  not 
to  ask  where  we  are  going.  I  will  bring  the  gold 
here  to  this  spot  in  the  morning, ' '  the  stranger 
said. 

The  selfish  king  agreed  to  this ;  and  the  next 
morning  he  took  his  second  daughter,  who  was 
even  more  beautiful  than  the  eldest,  and  they 


208      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

went  out  to  meet  the  stranger.  The  stranger 
was  waiting  for  them  with  a  cart  full  of  gold 
as  he  had  promised.  Soon  the  king  was  has 
tening  home  with  his  money,  and  the  beautiful 
princess  was  taken  away,  no  one  knew  where. 

Now  this  cart  full  of  gold  did  not  last  the 
king  even  as  long  as  the  other  had.  And  very 
soon  he  was  out  in  the  fields  again,  wondering 
what  he  could  do.  For  by  this  time  he  could 
think  of  nothing  but  his  wine. 

Again,  as  before,  a  stranger  stood  before  him. 
He  was  as  well  dressed  and  as  pleasing  as  the 
others. 

"Will  you  give  me  your  youngest  daughter 
for  my  wife?"  he  asked  the  king. 

"Yes,"  said  the  king  at  once,  "if  you  will 
give  me  a  cart  full  of  gold." 

"I  will,"  said  the  stranger,  "on  one  condition. 
You  must  promise  that  you  will  not  ask  where 
I  am  going  to  take  her.  Come  to  this  spot  in 
the  morning  with  your  daughter,  and  I  will  be 
here  with  the  cart  full  of  gold." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  king  hurried  out 
to  the  field  with  his  youngest  daughter,  the 
most  beautiful  daughter  of  all.  The  queen 
begged  of  him  to  leave  her  this  one  daughter; 
but  the  king  was  so  eager  for  gold,  with  which 
he  could  buy  wine,  that  he  would  not  listen  to 
her  pleadings. 

When   the  king  reached  the  field  with  his 


FAIRY  TALES  209 

daughter,  they  found  the  stranger  with  his  cart 
full  of  money  waiting  for  them.  The  king 
eagerly  took  the  money,  and  hastened  away ;  and 
soon  the  beautiful  princess  had  gone — no  one 
knew  where. 

This  time  the  king  drank  more  wine  than  ever 
before,  and  his  money  disappeared  faster  and 
faster.  In  a  little  while  it  was  all  gone.  There 
was  nothing  more  with  which  to  buy  pleasure. 
And  all  the  while  the  queen  mother  went  about 
with  a  very  sad  heart.  She  never  heard  from 
her  daughters;  she  did  not  know  where  they 
were — whether  they  were  alive  or  dead. 

But  at  last  the  queen  had  a  baby  boy,  and 
then  she  was  not  so  lonely.  The  days  went 
quickly,  and  it  was  but  a  little  while  when  the 
baby  could  walk;  and  soon  he  was  going  to 
school  and  playing  with  the  other  boys. 

One  day,  when  some  of  his  playmates  were 
angry  at  the  little  prince,  they  called  out  to 
him: 

"  Your  father  is  a  wicked  king.  He  sold  your 
sisters  for  gold,  and  he  spent  the  gold  for  wine." 

The  little  prince  ran  home  to  his  mother  as 
fast  as  he  could,  and  asked: 

"Oh,  mother,  did  I  ever  have  three  sisters? 
The  boys  at  school  said  that  my  father  sold  my 
sisters  for  gold.  Is  this  true?"  The  mother 
did  not  wish  the  boy  to  know  how  wicked  his 
father  was,  and  so  she  tried  to  deceive  him. 


210      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"All  those  tales  are  false,  my  son;  you  must 
not  believe  what  the  bad  boys  say,"  she  replied. 

But  when  the  boys  said  to  him  again :  "Your 
father  sold  your  sisters  for  gold,"  the  little 
prince  believed  them,  and  went  to  his  mother 
and  said: 

"Mother,  tell  me  about  my  sisters.  Tell  me 
why  my  father  sold  them  for  gold." 

"I  will  tell  you,"  the  mother  said.  The  sto 
ries  are  all  true.  You  did  have  three  sisters, 
and  your  father  did  sell  them  for  drink." 

"Where  are  they  now?"  asked  the  prince 
eagerly. 

"I  do  not  know  where  they  are,"  said  the 
queen.  "I  have  never  heard  from  them  since 
they  went  away. ' ' 

1 1  Oh,  mother !  I  will  go  in  search  of  my  sis 
ters/'  the  little  prince  cried. 

"It  will  be  of  no  use,  my  son;  no  one  can  find 
them,"  the  mother  answered. 

"But  I  will  find  them,  and  I  will  set  out  to 
morrow,"  he  said. 

So,  early  the  next  morning  the  prince  set  out 
in  his  chariot  with  one  servant.  They  travelled 
a  long,  long  way  until  they  came  to  a  river,  a 
broad,  smooth  river  in  a  great  forest.  When 
they  had  forded  the  river  the  prince  said : 

"Now  take  the  chariot  back  to  my  father;  I 
will  go  on  alone."  The  servant  did  as  he  was 
told,  and  the  prince  plunged  into  the  forest 


FAIRY  TALES  211 

alone.  He  had  not  gone  far,  when  suddenly  he 
came  upon  three  robbers,  who  were  so  busy 
talking  that  they  did  not  see  him  until  he  was 
close  beside  them.  They  seemed  to  be  quarrel 
ling  ;  so  the  prince  went  up  to  them  and  said : 

"What  is  the  trouble?  Why  do  you  dis 
pute  1" 

"We  have  robbed  a  man  of  a  coat,  a  pair  of 
shoes  and  a  sword, ' '  they  answered.  * '  The  coat 
can  make  the  wearer  invisible;  the  shoes  will 
take  him  wherever  he  wishes  to  go,  with  the 
greatest  swiftness ;  and  the  sword  will  do  what 
ever  the  owner  commands  it  to  do.  We  cannot 
agree  how  they  should  be  divided.  That  is  why 
we  dispute. " 

"Why,  let  me  decide  that  for  you,"  the  prince 
replied.  "I  am  sure  I  can  do  it  fairly." 

The  robbers  were  quite  willing  to  let  the 
prince  decide  how  the  coat  and  the  shoes  and 
the  sword  should  be  divided ;  so  the  prince  said, 

"Now  all  of  you  stand  with  your  backs  to  me, 
one  in  front  of  the  other.  Stand  there  quietly 
until  sunset  and  then  turn  around.  I  shall  have 
your  question  decided  by  that  time." 

As  soon  as  the  robbers  had  placed  themselves 
as  he  had  directed, — one  in  front  of  the  other, 
with  their  backs  turned  to  him — the  prince 
quickly  took  off  his  coat,  and  slipped  on  the 
magical  coat;  and  then  he  found  that  what  the 
robbers  had  said  was  true — he  had  become  in- 


212      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

visible.  Then  he  took  off  his  own  shoes,  and 
put  on  the  shoes  of  swiftness,  and  grasped  the 
sword  in  his  hand. 

The  robbers  stood  just  as  the  prince  had  told 
them,  and  at  sunset  they  turned  to  see  how  he 
had  divided  the  spoils;  when,  what  was  their 
surprise  to  find  that  no  prince  was  to  be  seen; 
and  there  was  no  magical  coat,  or  shoes,  or 
sword ! 

When  the  prince  had  taken  the  sword,  he 
wished  the  shoes  to  carry  him  to  the  door  of  his 
eldest  sister's  house.  He  had  no  sooner  made 
this  wish  then  he  felt  himself  being  carried 
through  the  air,  and  as  though  in  an  instant,  he 
stood  in  front  of  a  large,  beautiful  mansion.  He 
knocked,  and  at  once  a  woman  opened  the  door. 
The  prince  knew  that  she  was  his  eldest  sister, 
whom  he  was  seeking. 

"I  am  your  brother/'  he  said;  "I  have  been 
seeking  you." 

"But  you  cannot  be  my  brother/'  she  replied; 
' l  for  I  have  no  brother. ' ' 

But  when  the  prince  began  to  tell  her  about 
her  father,  the  king,  and  how  her  two  younger 
sisters  had  been  sold  for  gold,  and  how  he  had 
been  born  years  afterward,  and  how  he  had  now 
come  in  search  of  his  sisters,  she  knew  that  what 
he  said  was  true,  and  welcomed  him  gladly. 

"But  where  is  your  husband f "  he  asked. 

"He  is   out  fishing,"   said  the  sister;   "he 


FAIRY  TALES  213 

knows  that  you  are  here  and  he  is  coming 
ashore. " 

The  prince  turned;  he  could  see  no  boat  on 
the  water — but  far  out  at  sea  was  a  whale  spout 
ing  and  coming  toward  the  shore. 

" There  is  my  husband, "  she  said.  "When 
he  goes  out  to  sea  he  takes  the  form  of  a  whale. 
When  he  comes  ashore  he  will  become  a  man/' 

The  prince  was  frightened,  and  begged  his 
sister  to  hide  him;  but  she  told  him  that  her 
husband  would  do  him  no  harm.  Soon  he  saw 
coming  toward  them  from  the  shore  a  fine  look 
ing  man,  who  called  him  brother-in-law,  and 
gave  him  a  cordial  welcome. 

The  prince  stayed  with  his  sister  several 
days,  and  then  he  said  he  must  start  off  in 
search  of  his  second  sister.  His  brother  of 
fered  him  money,  but  he  said  he  had  no  need  of 
money.  When  the  time  came  for  him  to  go,  the 
brother  walked  with  him;  and  as  he  said  good 
bye,  he  put  into  the  prince's  hand  a  fish-scale. 

"If  you  ever  need  me,"  he  said,  "heat  this 
fish-scale,  and  I  will  at  once  come  to  your  as 
sistance." 

The  prince  took  the  fish-scale  and  started  upon 
his  journey.  When  no  one  could  see  him,  he 
put  on  the  magical  coat  that  would  make  him  in 
visible,  and  the  shoes  of  swiftness. 

"Take  me  to  the  home  of  my  second  sister," 
he  commanded  the  shoes  of  swiftness. 


214      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

In  an  instant,  as  it  seemed,  he  stood  before  the 
house  of  his  second  sister,  which  was  quite  as 
grand  as  the  first  sister's.  This  sister  opened 
the  door  in  answer  to  his  knock,  and  she  too 
would  not  believe  that  he  was  her  brother,  for 
she  knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened  since 
she  was  carried  away.  But  when  the  prince 
told  her  all,  just  as  he  had  told  the  eldest  sis 
ter,  she,  too,  knew  that  he  spoke  the  truth,  and 
then  she  welcomed  him. 

"  Where  is  my  brother-in-law  V '  he  asked. 

The  sister  pointed  toward  a  great  sheep,  feed 
ing  in  a  distant  pasture. 

"That  is  he,"  she  said;  "he  knows  that  you 
are  here,  and  he  will  soon  be  home." 

As  she  spoke  the  sheep  turned,  and  came 
bounding  toward  the  house;  and  as  he  came 
near  he  suddenly  took  the  form  of  a  man, 
and  the  prince  saw  that  he  was  as  fine  looking 
and  as  pleasant  as  the  other  brother-in-law  had 
been. 

After  a  visit  with  this  sister,  the  prince  said 
that  he  must  find  his  third  sister.  When  he  was 
offered  money,  he  refused  it ;  but  he  very  gladly 
accepted  the  lock  of  wool  which  his  brother-in- 
law  gave  him. 

"If  you  are  ever  in  need  of  me,  heat  this 
wool,"  said  the  brother-in-law,  "and  I  will  at 
once  be  at  your  side." 

The  prince  started  upon  his  journey,  and 


FAIRY  TALES  215 

when  he  was  where  no  one  could  see  him,  he  put 
on  the  magical  coat  and  shoes  again,  and  wished 
to  be  placed  before  the  third  sister 's  house. 

In  a  moment,  as  it  seemed,  he  found  himself 
in  front  of  a  grand  house.  He  knocked  at  the 
door,  and  his  sister  opened  it.  She,  like  the 
others,  did  not  know  him,  and  would  not  believe 
him  until  he  had  told  her  about  their  father 
and  mother.  Then  she  was  just  as  glad  to  see 
him  as  his  other  sisters  had  been. 

"And  where  is  my  brother-in-law ?"  the 
prince  asked. 

The  sister  pointed  toward  a  grey  goose  in  a 
field  nearby. 

"That  is  my  husband/'  she  said;  "he  turns 
himself  into  a  grey  goose  whenever  he  wishes. 
He  knows  that  you  are  here,  and  he  will  be 
home  in  a  moment. " 

The  grey  goose  at  once  rose  into  the  air  and 
flew  straight  to  them.  When  he  touched  the 
ground,  he  became  a  fine  looking  man. 

1  i  I  am  glad  you  have  come  to  us,  my  brother- 
in-law,"  he  said  to  the  prince. 

The  prince  visited  his  sister  and  brother-in- 
law  a  few  days.  He  was  now  a  young  man,  and 
his  thoughts  had  begun  to  turn  to  adventure. 
One  morning  he  said  to  his  sister : 

"I  must  go  now  in  search  of  adventures." 

The  sister  said: 

"I  know  of  a  beautiful  princess  you  might 


216      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

have  for  your  wife,  if  you  could  win  her;  but 
the  place  is  a  great  way  off." 

"Only  tell  me  where  it  is,  and  I  will  find  it," 
the  prince  answered. 

The  sister  told  him  where  he  might  find  the 
city,  and  the  brother  offered  him  money  for  his 
journey.  This  time  the  prince  accepted  thg 
money,  and  also  the  feather  which  the  brother- 
in-law  offered  him  in  parting. 

i  l  If  ever  you  are  in  need  of  me,  only  heat  this 
feather,  and  I  will  at  once  come  to  help  you," 
he  said. 

The  prince  now  started  upon  his  long  journey ; 
and  when  he  came  to  a  lonely  place  where  he 
could  not  be  seen  by  anyone,  he  put  on  the  mag 
ical  coat  and  shoes,  and  wished  to  be  placed 
near  the  city  where  the  beautiful  princess  lived. 

At  once,  he  stood  near  a  small  house.  He 
entered  and  found  two  old  women  talking  very 
earnestly  together.  They  seemed  to  be  in 
trouble. 

"Why  are  you  so  disturbed?"  he  asked. 

"There  is  to  be  a  royal  wedding  in  the  city 
to-morrow,"  they  answered,  looking  very  sad. 

"But  why  should  that  make  you  so  sad?"  he 
asked. 

One  of  the  old  women  pointed  to  a  high  cliff 
across  the  sea.  It  was  rainy  and  misty  there, 
and  the  wind  was  blowing,  and  the  water  was 
beating  up  against  the  side  of  the  cliff. 


FAIRY  TALES  217 

"Over  in  that  cliff  a  terrible  ogre  lives/'  she 
said.  "He  steals  away  every  bride  just  as  soon 
as  she  is  married.  And  no  one  can  kill  him; 
for  he  keeps  his  soul  hidden  away,  no  one  knows 
where.  To-morrow  he  will  take  our  princess 
away,  and  we  shall  never  see  her  again,  for  she 
will  be  a  prisoner  of  the  terrible  ogre." 

The  next  day  the  royal  wedding  took  place, 
and  the  beautiful  princess  was  spirited  away 
by  the  ogre,  just  as  the  two  old  women  had  said 
she  would  be.  The  prince  went  to  the  king  and 
said: 

"If  you  will  give  me  your  youngest  daughter 
for  my  wife,  I  can  promise  you  that  I  will  de 
stroy  the  terrible  ogre." 

The  king  wished  to  wait  until  the  ogre  had 
been  killed,  but  the  prince  said: 

"No,  the  wedding  must  take  place  first." 

The  king  was  so  anxious  to  have  the  ogre  de 
stroyed,  that  he  said  the  ceremony  might  take 
place  at  once. 

The  prince  warned  the  princess  that  she 
would  be  carried  away  by  the  ogre  just  as  her 
sister  had  been,  but  that  he  would  rescue  her 
— so  she  should  have  no  fear.  Then  the  prin 
cess  was  willing  to  marry  the  prince. 

The  ceremony  took  place  at  once,  and  no 
sooner  was  it  over  than  the  princess  was  drawn 
away,  by  invisible  hands,  and  in  an  instant  she 
had  become  invisible  too. 


218      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  prince  at  once  prepared  himself  to  follow 
her.  He  put  on  his  magical  coat  and  shoes,  and 
holding  the  sword  in  his  hand,  he  willed  to  be 
carried  and  placed  in  front  of  the  ogre's  cave. 
In  an  instant  he  found  himself  standing  on  a 
narrow  ledge  with  a  smooth  wall  of  rock  in  front 
of  him,  and  the  waves  dashing  against  the 
rocky  cliff.  With  one  hand  he  steadied  himself 
upon  his  narrow  foothold,  and  with  the  other 
held  the  magical  sword  and  marked  out  on  the 
rock  the  shape  of  a  door. 

"Door,  open!"  he  commanded.  And  at  once 
the  door  which  he  had  marked  out  rolled  back, 
and  the  prince  saw  before  him  the  ogre's  cave. 
There  were  the  many  beautiful  brides,  and  there 
was  his  own  wife  with  the  others.  The  prince 
stole  behind  her  chair.  Just  at  this  moment 
the  ogre  started  up. 

" There  is  a  wedding  in  the  city!"  he  cried, 
and  disappeared. 

The  prince  leaned  over  his  bride's  shoulder, 
and  whispered: 

"Ask  him  where  he  keeps  his  soul." 

Then  the  ogre  appeared  before  them  with  a 
bride  he  had  just  carried  off. 

"Where  do  you  keep  your  soul?"  the  prin 
cess  asked. 

"Now  that  is  a  very  strange  question,"  said 
the  ogre.  "No  one  has  ever  asked  me  that  be 
fore,  so  I  will  tell  you.  I  keep  my  soul  in  a  cas- 


FAIRY  TALES  219 

ket  far  out  at  sea,  in  a  line  from  the  door  of  the 
cave.  This  casket  is  inside  six  others,  and  each 
casket  is  locked — "  At  that  moment  the  ogre 
started  and  was  off  for  another  bride. 

"  Ask  him  where  he  keeps  the  key,"  the  prince 
whispered. 

At  that  moment  the  ogre  entered  the  cave 
with  a  bride,  and  when  he  had  placed  her  be 
side  the  one  whom  he  had  captured  just  before, 
he  took  his  seat  beside  the  princess. 

"Will  you  answer  another  question?"  the 
princess  asked.  "Will  you  tell  me  where  you 
keep  the  keys  of  the  casket  ? ' ' 

"Now  that  is  another  strange  question,"  the 
ogre  said;  "no  one  has  ever  asked  me  such  a 
question  as  that;  so  I  will  tell  you.  The  keys 
are  in  the  sea,  in  a  straight  line  between  the 
cave  and  the  casket." 

The  prince  waited  to  hear  no  more.  He  hur 
ried  out,  and  began  to  heat  the  fish-scale.  At 
once  a  great  whale  appeared.  It  was  the 
brother-in-law.  The  prince  told  him  to  get  the 
casket  and  the  keys  from  the  sea. 

It  took  but  a  moment  for  the  whale  to  find 
the  casket  and  the  keys  and  bring  them  back. 
Then  the  prince  began  opening  the  caskets. 
Six  he  opened  easily,  but  the  seventh  casket 
had  so  small  a  key  that  it  broke  in  the  lock. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  way  to  open  it.  Then 
the  prince  thought  of  his  brother-in-law,  the 


220      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

sheep.  He  heated  the  lock  of  wool,  and  at  once 
the  great  sheep  was  before  him.  The  sheep 
broke  the  lock  with  his  horn,  and  then  he  opened 
the  lid — when  suddenly  the  soul  flew  out  of  the 
casket,  and  away — away! 

The  prince  heated  the  feather  and  soon 
there  flew  toward  him  the  grey  goose,  who 
started  off  after  the  ogre's  soul,  and  caught  it 
in  his  beak.  When  he  had  brought  it  to  the 
prince,  he  held  it  while  the  prince  struck  it 
again  and  again  with  his  magical  sword.  And 
all  this  time  the  ogre  inside  the  cave,  who  knew 
nothing  of  what  was  happening  to  his  soul,  was 
growing  weaker  and  weaker,  until  he  could  not 
speak.  Soon  he  could  scarcely  breathe — and 
then  he  died. 

Then  the  prince  went  back  into  the  cave,  and 
told  the  stolen  brides  that  he  must  now  go  to 
the  city  to  make  ready  a  place  for  them,  but 
that  he  would  soon  return  and  rescue  them  all. 

That  very  day  the  prince  took  all  the  brides 
back  to  the  city,  and  soon  each  was  in  her  own 
home.  Then  the  prince  went  to  the  king's  pal 
ace  with  the  princess,  where  they  lived  happily 
and  were  never  troubled  again  by  any  terrible 
ogre. 


THE  MAGICAL  BELT 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived,  in  the  forest, 
an  old  Indian  with  his  wife  and  his  son, 
who  had  passed  about  fifteen  summers. 

This  son  often  had  dreams  in  which  a  voice 
warned  him  to  do  certain  things.  The  boy  al 
ways  followed  the  directions  of  the  voice,  and 
everything  happened  just  as  the  dream  fore 
told. 

One  night,  the  voice  said  to  the  boy  in  a 
dream : 

"To-morrow,  follow  the  path  through  the  for 
est  to  the  lake.  There  on  the  shore  you  will 
find  a  man  taking  the  skin  from  a  bull.  If  you 
can  secure  a  strip  of  hide  running  along  the 
back,  make  yourself  a  belt.  This  belt  will  have 
magical  power  and  will  help  you  to  become  a 
famous  cattle  doctor." 

The  next  day,  the  boy  followed  the  directions 
of  the  voice.  He  went  along  the  path  through 
the  forest  until  he  reached  the  lake.  There  he 
saw  a  stranger  taking  the  hide  from  a  great 
bull. 

"What  are  you  doing V9  asked  the  boy. 
221 


222      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"I  am  taking  the  hide  from  this  bull,"  the 
stranger  replied;  "he  died  to-day. " 

"Will  you  let  me  have  a  strip  from  the  back, 
over  the  backbone  ? ' '  the  boy  asked. 

"Yes,"  the  stranger  said,  "but  I  will  need 
money  for  it." 

The  boy  had  not  thought  of  needing  money 
to  pay  for  the  raw-hide.  But  he  wanted  to  have 
that  belt.  The  voice  had  said  that  he  would  be 
come  a  great  cattle-doctor;  and  this  was  just 
what  he  wished  to  be. 

"I  will  ask  my  father  for  the  money,"  he 
said  to  the  stranger,  and  started  off  through  the 
forest. 

"Oh,  father,"  he  said  when  he  reached  home, 
"please  give  me  enough  money  to  buy  a  piece 
of  raw-hide." 

"Why  do  you  want  raw-hide,  my  son?"  asked 
the  father. 

Then  the  boy  told  his  father  about  his  dream, 
and  about  the  voice. 

"Tell  the  stranger  that  you  have  no  money," 
said  the  father,  "and  ask  him  to  give  you  the 
strip  of  raw-hide  and  say  that  you  will  give  him 
the  money  for  it  when  you  get  it." 

Back  to  the  stranger  the  boy  ran,  and  told 
him  what  his  father  had  said. 

"But,  I  cannot  do  that,"  answered  the  man. 
"However,  if  you  really  want  the  strip  of  raw- 


FAIRY  TALES  223 

hide,  yon  may  work  for  me  a  day  and  at  the 
end  of  the  day  I  will  give  it  to  you." 

"Do  let  me  work  for  you/'  said  the  boy,  very 
happy  at  the  thought  of  owning  a  magical  belt. 

The  very  next  day  the  boy  worked  for  the 
stranger,  and  he  did  more  work  in  that  one  day 
than  an  ordinary  man  could  do  in  a  week.  At 
the  end  of  the  day,  the  stranger  gave  him  the 
strip  of  raw-hide  from  the  back  of  the  bull,  and 
soon  the  magical  belt  was  made,  just  as  the 
voice  had  directed. 

Then  in  a  dream  the  voice  came  to  the  boy 
again : 

"Cut  a  few  hairs  from  the  raw-hide  belt; 
then  go  out  and  cut  a  small  lock  from  the  backs 
of  seven  large  bulls.  Cut  these  hairs  into  small 
pieces  and  place  them  together,  and  they  will 
be  all  the  medicine  you  will  require.  The  belt 
will  give  you  whatever  you  desire.  But  this 
power  will  continue  for  seven  years  only.  At 
the  end  of  that  time,  your  skill  in  medicine  will 
leave  yon  and  the  belt  will  lose  its  power." 

The  boy  now  started  out  on  a  tour  of  cattle- 
doctoring.  He  visited  a  city  where  there  was 
a  valuable  bull  very  sick.  He  examined  it,  and 
then  went  to  the  owner. 

"I  am  a  cattle  doctor,"  he  said,  "and  I  know 
that  I  can  make  your  animal  well,  if  you  will  let 
me  take  care  of  it." 


224      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

The  owner  was  glad  to  let  him  take  care  of  the 
bull,  because  the  other  doctors  had  said  that  it 
could  not  get  well. 

The  boy  with  the  magical  belt  began  treat 
ing  the  bull,  and  by  the  next  day  it  was  entirely 
well. 

"What  shall  I  pay  you?"  asked  the  owner, 
who  was  glad  to  have  his  bull  well  again. 

"Oh,  I  will  leave  that  to  you  to  decide,"  the 
boy  said. 

i  i  Then  I  will  give  you  a  bull, ' '  the  owner  re 
plied,  "for  you  have  done  me  a  great  service." 

i  i  I  have  no  use  for  an  animal, ' '  said  the  boy, 
"I  would  rather  have  money." 

"Well,  as  I  would  not  have  lost  my  bull  for 
fifty  pounds,"  said  the  man,  "I  will  give  you 
that  amount." 

So  he  gave  the  boy  fifty  pounds.  The  boy 
carried  the  money  home,  and  gave  it  to  his 
father  to  put  away  for  him.  After  that  he  trav 
elled  about  the  country,  making  sick  cattle  well, 
and  he  always  cured  them,  since  he  always  used 
the  medicine  the  dream  had  told  him  to  make. 

The  boy  always  slept  with  his  belt  under  his 
head,  and  one  night  in  a  dream  the  voice  said: 

"Take  your  belt  to  the  large  pasture  near 
the  lake.  Go  to-morrow,  but  you  must  first 
eat  your  breakfast ;  and  then  you  must  eat  your 
dinner,  and  then  you  may  go.  Leave  the  belt 
in  the  pasture;  and  the  next  day,  at  the  very 


FAIRY  TALES  225 

same  hour,  go  to  the  pasture  and  claim  as  your 
own  whatever  you  find  there. " 

The  boy  did  as  the  dream  told  him.  He  ate 
his  breakfast,  and  then  his  dinner,  and  then  he 
went  to  the  pasture  and  left  the  belt. 

The  next  day  at  the  very  same  hour,  he  went 
back  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  the  belt. 
What  was  his  surprise  to  see  standing  beside 
the  belt  a  great  beautiful  white  bull!  It  was 
the  most  beautiful  animal  he  had  ever  seen. 
He  led  it  away  to  his  home. 

Soon  the  news  of  this  wonderful  bull  spread 
far  and  wide.  Not  far  off  in  a  city  there  lived 
a  king,  who  owned  a  bull.  He  was  very  proud 
of  this  animal,  and  when  he  heard  that  there 
aras  another  bull  as  wonderful  as  his  own  he 
was  angry. 

"Who  is  the  owner  of  this  wonderful  bull?" 
he  asked. 

"A  cattle-doctor, "  they  said,  "and  he  has 
such  skill  that  the  cattle  always  get  well  when  he 
gives  them  his  wonderful  medicine. ' r 

"I  must  see  this  wonderful  bull,"  said  the 
king ;  so  he  sent  messengers  to  the  cattle-doctor. 

"The  king  would  like  to  see  your  beautiful 
bull,"  the  messengers  said.  So  the  boy  went 
to  the  city  with  his  bull.  On  the  way  he  told 
the  bull  where  they  were  going. 

When  the  king  saw  the  wonderful  creature 
he  was  so  pleased  that  he  wished  to  buy  it. 


226      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"No!  No!"  answered  the  boy,  "I  could  not 
part  with  my  bull  for  any  price." 

Then  the  king  said : 

"Well  then,  let  the  animals  fight." 

So  the  bulls  were  taken  to  a  large  field, 
where  many  people  were  gathered  to  see  the 
sport. 

"Do  not  kill  the  king's  bull,"  the  boy  whis 
pered,  "but  knock  him  down  and  show  that  you 
are  the  master." 

Then  the  fight  began.  The  bulls  rushed  at 
each  other  with  their  heads  held  low,  and  very 
soon  the  king's  beautiful  white  bull  was  on  the 
ground  under  the  feet  of  the  other. 

"Call  your  bull  away!"  begged  the  king. 
"Do  not  let  him  kill  my  bull  1"  The  boy  called 
to  his  bull,  which  at  once  left  the  other,  and 
came  quietly  to  him. 

The  king's  bull  lay  on  the  ground,  wounded 
and  bleeding. 

"If  you  will  only  heal  the  wounds  your  bull 
has  made,"  said  the  king,  "I  will  pay  you  well." 

So  the  boy  gave  the  king's  bull  some  of  his 
magical  medicine  and  at  once  the  animal  was 
healed.  The  king  rewarded  him  as  he  promised, 
and  gave  him  one  hundred  pounds  and  a  fine 
horse.  This  money  also  the  boy  gave  to  his 
father,  who  laid  it  away  with  all  the  rest  of  the 
money. 


FAIRY  TALES  227 

Soon  after  this  the  boy,  sleeping  on  his  magi 
cal  belt,  had  another  dream. 

"  To-morrow,  just  before  sunset,  the  king  will 
come  with  his  servant  to  visit  you.  They  will 
ask  to  see  the  wonderful  bull.  But  they  mean 
to  poison  him.  Drive  the  bull  and  the  horse 
from  the  pasture,  and  lock  them  in  the  barn. 
When  the  king  comes,  pretend  to  go  and  hunt 
for  them;  but  instead  go  away  into  the  woods 
and  wait  until  the  king  goes  home/' 

The  next  day  these  things  happened  just  as 
the  dream  had  said. 

Another  day  the  king  came  again,  and  said  to 
the  boy: 

4 'If  you  will  give  me  the  bull,  I  will  give  you 
one  hundred  pounds." 

"No,  I  would  not  sell  him  for  that,"  said  the 
boy. 

' '  Then  I  will  give  you  three  hundred  pounds,  ' ' 
said  the  king. 

"Very  well  then,"  the  boy  replied,  "you  may 
have  the  bull."  For  he  knew  that  the  seven 
years  of  magical  power  had  nearly  passed,  and 
he  wished  to  get  as  much  money  as  he  could. 

After  this,  sleeping  with  his  belt  under  his 
head,  the  boy  had  another  dream. 

"Gather  hairs  from  as  many  kinds  of  cattle 
as  you  can.  Take  these  with  the  belt  to  the 
pasture.  Lay  the  belt  on  the  ground,  and  scat- 


228      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

ter  the  hair  over  it,  wishing  as  you  do  this,  that 
the  pasture  may  be  filled  with  cattle.  The  next 
day  at  the  same  hour,  return  to  the  pasture  and 
claim  as  your  own  whatever  you  find." 

The  boy  did  just  as  the  dream  had  told  him, 
and  the  next  day  he  went  back  to  the  pasture 
and  there  before  him  were  all  sorts  and  sizes 
of  cattle  of  the  finest  breeds.  He  drove  the  cat 
tle  home. 

'  '  Where  did  you  get  all  these  cattle,"  asked 
the  father. 

' l  From  the  Great  Spirit  alone, ' '  said  the  boy. 

Soon  after  this,  the  dream  told  the  boy  to 
place  sheep's  wool  in  the  field  and  lay  the  belt 
upon  it,  and  wish  for  sheep.  The  morning  after 
he  had  done  this  he  found  a  great  flock  of  sheep 
in  the  pasture. 

Again,  the  dream  told  him  how  to  fill  the  pas 
ture  with  geese,  and  then  hens,  and  ducks,  and 
all  other  animals  he  might  wish.  Ajid  all  this 
was  done  by  the  magical  belt. 

Now  the  seven  years  of  magical  power  were 
ended.  The  boy  took  the  belt  out  into  the  pas 
ture  and  left  it  there,  for  the  dream  had  told 
him  to  do  this.  He  never  saw  the  magical  belt 
again,  and  he  had  no  more  wonderful  dreams. 
But  he  lived  very  happily  because  of  the  seven 
years  of  prosperity  the  magical  belt  had  given 
him. 


By  permission,  copyright  by  Houyhton,  Mifflin  <£•  Co. 


"And  Glooscap,  resting  lightly  upon  his  bow,  watched  Bootup 
until  the  clouds  of  smoke  died  away  in  the  distance. 
And  from  that  day,  whenever  an  Indian  sees  a  whale 
blowing,  he  says:  "he  is  smoking  the  pipe  of  Glooscap." 


COOLNAJOO  THE  STUPID 

ONCE  upon  a  time  three  brothers  lived  to 
gether.  The  youngest  was  a  silly  fellow 
who  was  always  doing  outrageous  things. 

One  day  they  killed  a  pig.  The  two  older 
brothers  went  to  buy  salt,  and  told  the  youngest 
to  remain  to  watch  the  house  and  the  pig. 

"We  are  going  to  salt  down  the  pork,"  they 
said,  "and  keep  it  for  the  long  days." 

After  they  had  gone  Coolnajoo,  the  Stupid, 
went  out  and  found  some  men  at  work. 

"If  there  is  a  man  here  named  Longdays,  I 
have  a  pig  for  him, ' '  he  said. 

One  of  the  men  declared  that  that  was  his 
name;  so  Coolnajoo  gave  the  pig  to  him,  and 
he  carried  it  away. 

Soon  the  brothers  returned  and  wondered 
what  had  become  of  the  pig. 

"Why!"  said  Coolnajoo,  "Longdays  has  been 
here  and  has  taken  it  away.  Did  you  not  say 
it  was  to  be  kept  for  Longdays?" 

"Oh,  you  blockhead!"  they  cried.  "We  told 
you  that  it  was  to  be  kept  for  ourselves  when 
the  days  became  long  next  summer." 

Soon  after  this,  Coolnajoo  was  sent  to  buy  a 

229 


230      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

horse.  He  bought  the  horse,  and  started  home 
with  it.  Near  the  house  there  was  a  long  lane, 
lined  with  trees  and  bushes.  When  Coolnajoo 
came  to  the  head  of  the  lane,  he  said  to  the 
horse : 

"This  is  the  road.  Now  you  may  go  to  the 
house  yourself. "  He  took  off  the  halter  and 
the  horse  kicked  up  his  heels  and  made  for  his 
old  home. 

Coolnajoo  went  home  and  told  his  brothers 
how  stupid  the  horse  had  been. 

"You  numbskull !"  they  exclaimed;  "you  can 
never  do  anything  right.  Why  did  you  not  ride 
him  down  the  lane?" 

"Oh,  I  will  do  better  next  time,"  he  promised. 

Soon  after  this  the  brothers  sent  Coolnajoo 
to  find  a  woman  to  help  care  for  the  mother, 
who  was  ill.  Coolnajoo  took  his  bridle  and 
went  off.  He  soon  found  a  woman,  and  they 
started  home  together.  When  they  reached 
the  head  of  the  lane  Coolnajoo  said  to  her: 

"I  must  put  the  bridle  on  your  head;  you 
will  need  to  carry  me  on  your  back. ' f 

The  terrified  woman  screamed,  and  broke 
away  from  Coolnajoo  and  fled. 

Coolnajoo  was  very  much  puzzled  at  the 
woman's  actions.  He  went  home  and  told  his 
brothers  that  the  woman  had  run  away. 

"Why,  what  was  the  trouble,"  they  asked 
him. 


FAIRY  TALES  231 

"When  I  tried  to  drive  her  home  as  you  told 
me,  she  screamed  and  ran  away  from  me,  cry 
ing  as  hard  as  she  could, "  said  Coolnajoo. 

"Oh,  you  stupid!"  they  cried;  "was  that  the 
way  to  treat  a  woman  ?  You  should  have  taken 
her  by  the  arm,  and  given  her  a  kiss." 

"Ah,  well,"  said  Coolnajoo,  "I  shall  know 
better  next  time." 

But  the  next  time  Coolnajoo  was  sent  for  a 
pig.  He  led  the  pig  until  he  came  to  the  lane. 
Then  he  tried  to  make  the  pig  walk  on  its  hind 
legs,  and  when  the  terrified  animal  squealed  and 
kicked,  Coolnajoo  gave  it  a  kiss.  But  the 
frightened  pig  gave  Coolnajoo  such  a  blow  in 
the  face  with  his  tusk  that  Coolnajoo  let  go  of 
the  rope,  and  off  went  the  pig  home. 

Coolnajoo  went  home  with  his  face  torn  and 
bleeding,  and  told  his  brothers  that  he  had  lost 
the  pig. 

"Oh,  you  stupid!"  they  cried,  "we  will  never 
send  you  anywhere  again." 

But  one  day  the  brothers  needed  a  tub  of 
lard,  and  there  was  no  one  to  send  but  Coolna 
joo.  So  they  told  Coolnajoo  just  what  to  do 
and  said  he  must  be  sure  to  bring  the  lard  home 
safely. 

Coolnajoo  bought  the  lard,  and  started  for 
home.  When  he  came  to  a  part  of  the  road  that 
was  dried  and  cracked  by  the  sun,  he  said: 

"Oh,  my  old  grandfather,  what  a  terribly 


232      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

sore  back  you  have,  so  naked  and  dry!  You 
shall  have  my  lard  for  salve,  and  I  will  rub  it 
on." 

Coolnajoo  spread  the  lard  over  the  dry  road, 
and  when  it  was  all  gone,  he  went  home. 

"Why  have  yon  not  brought  the  lard?"  the 
brothers  asked,  when  they  saw  Coolnajoo  re 
turning  empty-handed. 

"Oh,  dear  me,"  answered  Coolnajoo,  "I  came 
upon  a  poor  old  man,  lying  in  the  road,  with  his 
back  all  sore  and  cracked ;  and  I  pitied  him,  and 
spread  the  lard  over  him." 

"Poor  old  man!"  they  said,  "we  will  go  and 
bring  him  home. ' '  So  the  brothers  started  off, 
with  Coolnajoo,  but  when  they  came  to  the 
cracked  road  and  saw  what  Coolnajoo  had  done 
with  the  lard,  they  cried: 

"Oh,  you  stupid,  we  will  never  send  you  any 
where  again." 

At  last  Coolnajoo  suddenly  became  as  clever 
as  he  had  been  stupid. 

One  day  the  two  brothers  went  away  and  left 
him  at  home  to  take  care  of  the  pigs.  While 
they  were  away,  he  sold  the  pigs,  but  he  cut  off 
their  tails,  and  stood  them  up  in  the  quagmire 
so  as  to  deceive  his  brothers.  When  his 
brothers  came  home  and  asked  how  he  had  man 
aged  with  the  pigs,  Coolnajoo  said : 

"Why,  all  the  pigs  broke  out  of  their  pen, 


FAIRY  TALES  233 

and  rushed  down  to  the  shore.  They  are  in 
the  quagmire i" 

The  brothers  ran  down  to  the  shore  to  see, 
and  there,  sure  enough,  were  the  pigs  with  just 
the  tips  of  their  tails  sticking  out  of  the  sand. 
They  seized  the  tails  to  pull  them  out,  but  the 
tails  broke  off  (so  they  thought)  and  the  pigs 
sank  down  into  the  mire  so  deep  that  they  could 
never  be  found. 

At  last  Coolnajoo  made  so  much  trouble  for 
his  brothers  with  his  cleverness  that  they  de 
cided  to  do  away  with  him  altogether.  They 
thought  it  would  be  best  to  drown  him ;  so  they 
tied  him  up  in  a  bag,  and  took  him  down  to  the 
shore  when  the  tide  was  out,  and  buried  him, 
leaving  him  to  be  drowned  when  the  tide  came 
in. 

Soon  Coolnajoo  heard  a  drove  of  pigs  going 
by,  saying: 

"Uh!    Uh!    Uh!" 

"Come  and  help  me,"  he  called.  "If  you 
will  uncover  me  and  untie  me,  I  will  lead  you  to 
a  place  where  you  can  feed  on  chickweed  to  your 
hearts'  content."  The  pigs  heard  him  calling 
and  went  to  the  spot  where  he  was  buried. 
They  thrust  their  noses  deep  into  the  soft  earth, 
and  soon  unburied  the  bag.  They  dragged  it 
out,  and  untied  the  string.  Up  jumped  Coolna 
joo,  seized  one  of  the  pigs,  and  thrust  him  into 


234     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

the  bag.  Then  he  put  the  bag  back  into  the 
hole,  and  drove  the  other  pigs  away  to  the  field 
of  chickweed,  where  they  were  kept  busy  until 
the  tide  returned  and  covered  the  spot  where 
Coolnajoo  had  been  buried. 

When  the  tide  had  gone  out  again,  Coolnajoo 's 
brothers  began  to  feel  sorry  for  what  they  had 
done  to  him.  They  went  to  the  spot  where  they 
had  buried  him,  of  course  expecting  to  find  him 
dead.  What  was  their  surprise,  on  opening  the 
bag,  to  find,  instead  of  their  brother — a  dead 
pig! 

Coolnajoo  had  been  watching  them  from  a  dis 
tance,  and  when  they  reached  home  they  found 
him  astride  the  ridge-pole,  laughing  at  them. 

After  this  Coolnajoo  was  more  clever  than 
ever,  until  at  last  his  brothers  could  endure  him 
no  longer,  and  planned  once  more  to  kill  him. 
This  time  they  thought  they  would  do  better. 

"We  will  take  him  to  the  water-fall,"  they 
said,  ' '  and  throw  him  in,  and  let  him  be  dashed 
to  pieces  in  the  rapids. " 

So  they  tied  Coolnajoo  up  in  a  bag  again,  and 
hung  the  bag  across  a  pole,  and  started  for  the 
water-fall.  But  they  became  hungry  on  the 
way,  and  put  him  down  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
while  they  went  to  an  inn  to  eat. 

While  they  were  gone,  a  drover  passed  by 
and  spying  the  bag,  he  went  up  and  gave  it  a 
kick,  to  see  what  might  be  in  it. 


FAIRY  TALES  235 

< '  Hallao ! "  he  called.    < '  What  is  all  this  ? ' ' 

"My  brothers  and  I  are  going  in  search  of 
gold,"  said  Coolnajoo.  "I  am  hiding  in  the 
bag  so  I  can  be  carried  to  a  place  where  we  are 
to  make  our  fortunes."  Coolnajoo 's  story  de 
ceived  the  drover. 

"I  will  give  you  my  whole  drove  of  cattle," 
he  said,  "if  you  will  only  let  me  have  your  place 
in  the  bag." 

Coolnajoo  was  quite  willing,  you  may  imag 
ine  ;  so  the  drover  took  his  place  in  the  bag,  and 
Coolnajoo  went  off  with  the  cattle. 

"But  you  must  be  cautious,"  called  Coolna 
joo,  "and  you  must  not  speak  or  the  trick  will 
be  found  out.  My  brothers  must  not  know  that 
it  is  not  I  who  is  in  the  bag.  By  and  by  you 
will  hear  the  roar  of  the  water-fall,  but  do  not 
be  frightened.  They  are  going  to  lower  you 
down  into  the  fall  to  get  the  money,  and  before 
you  go  they  may  give  you  two  or  three  swings. 
You  must  keep  still  then  and  not  speak.  And 
after  that  you  can  have  everything  your  own 
way."  Then  Coolnajoo  went  on  to  the  market 
with  his  cattle. 

The  brothers  soon  came  back  to  the  bag,  put 
it  on  the  pole,  and  started  upon  their  journey. 
When  they  reached  the  water-fall,  they  stood 
as  near  to  it  as  they  could,  and  gave  the  bag 
three  swings  in  order  to  send  it  out  as  far  as 
possible.  Over  the  fall  they  threw  it,  and  went 


236      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

home  again,  thinking  they  were  well  rid  of  Cool- 
najoo.  But  they  had  no  sooner  reached  the 
house,  than  Coolnajoo  came  in  with  his  pockets 
full  of  money  from  the  sale  of  his  cattle. 

After  that  the  brothers  were  willing  to  let 
Coolnajoo  alone,  and  help  him  spend  the  money 
he  had  brought  home. 


THE  BOY  WHO  KESCUED  HIS  BEOTHEB 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  very  poor 
man  who  had  a  large  family.  One 
day  a  stranger  came  to  him,  and  offered  him  a 
large  sum  of  money  for  his  little  son.  The  man 
needed  money  so  much  that  he  sold  the  child, 
although  he  knew  very  well  that  the  stranger 
was  an  evil  spirit. 

Soon  after  this,  another  son  was  born  in  the 
family.  When  the  boy  was  old  enough  to  talk, 
he  began  to  ask  about  his  older  brother. 

" Where  is  my  brother?"  lie  asked  his  mother 
one  day.  The  mother  began  to  weep. 

"Your  father  sold  him  to  a  stranger, "  she 
said. 

1 l  Where  has  he  been  taken I ' '  asked  the  little 
boy. 

"An  evil  spirit  carried  him  away,"  the 
mother  replied,  "no  one  knows  where." 

"I  will  go  and  bring  my  brother  back/'  the 
child  said. 

The  very  next  day  there  came  to  the  house 
a  stranger,  whom  no  one  but  the  child  could  see. 
And  he  talked  with  the  child. 

237 


238      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"Do  you  wish  to  rescue  your  brother  from 
the  evil  spirit  who  has  carried  him  off!"  the 
stranger  asked. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  child,  "I  wish  very 
much  to  rescue  him." 

"Then,"  said  the  stranger,  "when  you  are 
ready  to  go,  I  will  help  you." 

The  next  morning,  when  the  child  went  out, 
the  stranger  met  him  and  said: 

"Are  you  ready  for  your  journey?" 

"Yes,  I  am  all  ready  to  start,"  the  boy 
answered.  Then  the  stranger  gave  him  a  tiny 
horse-whip,  saying: 

"Hide  this  whip  in  your  clothes,  and  do  not 
let  anyone  know  that  you  have  it.  When  the 
proper  time  comes,  you  will  know  what  to  do 
with  it."  Then  he  pointed  out  the  road  the 
child  must  travel  over. 

"Do  you  see  in  the  distance  there,  the  road 
that  passes  through  a  cloud?"  he  asked. 
"That  is  the  road  you  are  to  take.  When  you 
have  passed  through  the  cloud  you  will  come 
to  a  large  house.  You  will  meet  the  owner, 
and  he  will  ask  you  what  you  want.  Tell  him 
that  you  are  looking  for  work.  He  will  tell 
you  that  if  you  can  take  care  of  horses,  he  will 
give  you  work.  Tell  him  you  can,  and  accept 
the  place.  While  you  are  taking  care  of  the 
horses,  one  of  them  will  speak  to  you,  and  tell 
you  that  he  is  your  brother,  and  he  will  ask 


FAIKY  TALES  239 

you  why  you  have  come.  Then  you  must  tell 
him  that  you  have  come  to  rescue  him." 

The  boy  started  out  upon  his  journey  along 
the  road  that  passed  through  the  thick  cloud, 
and  when  he  had  reached  the  other  side  of  the 
cloud,  he  saw  a  large  white  house,  as  the  stran 
ger  had  told  him  he  would.  As  he  drew  near, 
the  master  of  the  house  came  out  and  said : 

"What  did  you  come  here  for?" 

"I  came  here  looking  for  work,"  answered 
the  boy. 

"I  will  give  you  work,  if  you  can  take  care 
of  horses,"  the  master  of  the  house  said. 

So  the  boy  stayed  to  care  for  the  horses. 
One  day  one  of  the  horses  spoke  to  him. 

"My  brother,"  he  said,  "why  have  you  come 
here?  It  is  an  evil  place.  I  was  once  as  you 
are  now,  and  I  was  set  to  tending  horses  as 
you  are  doing,  until  I,  myself,  was  turned  into 
a  horse." 

"That  will  not  happen  to  me,  my  brother," 
said  the  boy,  "for  I  have  come  to  rescue 
you." 

"Alas!  You  will  never  be  able  to  do  it," 
the  enchanted  brother  said. 

One  day,  soon  after  this,  the  boy  asked  his 
master  to  allow  him  to  take  a  ride.  The  master 
was  willing;  so  the  boy  took  out  his  enchanted 
brother  from  the  stable,  and  rode  him  in  the 
yard,  and  then  galloped  about. 


240     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

"To-morrow,  my  brother,"  he  whispered, 
"we  will  start  for  home." 

"We  cannot  do  it,"  answered  the  enchanted 
brother;  "they  will  pursue  us  and  bring  us 
back." 

"No,  my  brother,  they  cannot  overtake  us. 
I  know  that  I  shall  rescue  you,  ' '  the  boy  said. 

The  next  day,  the  boy  again  asked  for  a  ride, 
and  the  master  said  that  he  might  go.  He 
mounted  his  brother  again,  and  first  rode  very 
slowly  back  and  forth  near  the  house.  Then 
he  turned  away  from  the  house,  toward  his  own 
home.  At  first  he  walked  slowly,  then  suddenly 
broke  into  a  quick  gallop. 

When  the  master  saw  him  galloping  away,  he 
suspected  that  the  boy  was  trying  to  escape, 
and  sent  men  to  capture  him.  The  boy  turned 
and  saw  them  coming.  He  knew  that  if  they 
could  only  reach  the  cloud,  they  would  be  safe, 
for  their  pursuers  would  be  powerless. 

The  enchanted  boy  galloped  as  fast  as  he 
could,  but  the  men  gained  upon  them.  They 
had  not  yet  reached  the  cloud,  and  now  the  pur 
suers  were  almost  upon  them. 

Then  the  boy  remembered  the  little  whip  that 
the  stranger  had  given  him,  saying,  "When  the 
proper  time  comes,  you  will  know  what  to  do 
with  it."  The  time  had  now  come!  The  boy 
drew  the  whip  from  his  pocket,  where  he  had 
kept  it  hidden,  and  struck  the  horse  a  sharp 


FAIRY  TALES  241 

lash  with  it.  This  put  new  life  into  the  tired 
animal.  He  galloped  on  at  twice  the  speed, 
and  soon  they  were  far  ahead  of  their  pursuers. 
At  last  they  reached  the  thick  cloud.  The  horse 
gave  a  great  leap  into  it,  and  they  were  safe 
beyond  the  dominions  of  the  evil  spirit. 

When  they  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  cloud, 
they  met  the  stranger  who  had  helped  the  boy 
rescue  his  brother. 

"Do  not  go  into  the  village,  but  go  into  the 
forest  and  pass  the  night  there/ '  the  stranger 
said.  Then  he  took  off  his  cloak  and  threw  it 
over  the  horse's  head,  and  went  away. 

The  boy  took  the  horse  into  the  forest  and 
tied  him  to  a  tree  and  then  lay  down  to  sleep. 
In  the  morning,  when  he  awoke,  he  found  his 
brother  sitting  beside  him,  now  turned  back  into 
his  own  form.  But  he  was  without  clothing; 
so  the  boy  went  into  the  village  and  begged 
some  for  him,  and  soon  he  was  clothed  and 
ready  to  start  out  into  the  world  again.  The 
stranger  met  them. 

"Go  to  your  home,  now,  and  carry  the  cloak 
I  left  with  you  last  night.  Throw  it  over  your 
father/' 

They  went  home,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  their 
father,  they  threw  the  cloak  over  him,  as  they 
had  been  told  to  do.  Then  the  father  ran  out 
of  the  house;  and  the  moment  he  was  outside 
the  door  he  was  turned  into  a  horse,  and  an 


242    PLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

evil  spirit  leaped  upon  his  back  and  he  galloped 
away  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

The  two  brothers  left  their  old  home,  after 
that,  and  set  out  upon  a  journey;  but  they  were 
seen  by  only  a  few  people,  for  they  were  in 
visible  to  most.  At  length  they  came  to  a  house 
and  went  into  an  upper  chamber.  In  the  morn 
ing  their  friend  came  to  see  them,  and  said : 
"We  had  better  stay  here  all  night." 
The  next  morning,  when  the  people  of  the 
house  went  to  inquire  for  them,  the  room  was 
empty.  The  doors  and  the  windows  were  fas 
tened,  and  the  boys'  clothes  were  left  in  the 
room.  They  had  been  taken  away  by  the  good 
stranger  to  his  own  country,  where  there  were 
no  evil  spirits  to  trouble  them. 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  THE  GEEAT 
CHIEF 


HOW  GLOOSCAP  FOUND  THE  SUMMER 

IN  the  long  ago,  when  the  Indians  lived  in 
the  early  red  light  of  the  morning,  Gloos- 
cap,  the  Great  Chief,  went  very  far  to  the 
north,  where  all  was  ice. 

At  last  he  came  to  a  wigwam,  and  there  he 
found  a  giant — a  great  giant,  for  he  was  Win 
ter.  Glooscap  entered  the  wigwam;  he  sat 
down.  Then  Winter  gave  him  a  pipe;  he 
smoked,  and  the  giant  told  him  tales  of  the 
olden  times. 

The  charm  of  the  Frost  was  upon  him,  and 
while  the  Giant  Winter  talked,  the  Great  Chief 
nodded  and  then  fell  asleep.  He  slept  for  six 
months.  Then  the  charm  left  him,  and  he 
awoke  and  went  upon  his  journey.  He  has 
tened  toward  the  south,  and  at  every  step  it 
grew  warmer,  and  by  and  by  the  flowers  sprang 
up  and  talked  with  him. 

At  last  the  Great  Chief  came  to  where  all  the 
little  folk  were  dancing  in  the  forest.  Their 
queen  was  Summer,  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
women.  The  Great  Chief  seized  her,  and  by 
a  clever  trick  he  kept  her.  For  he  cut  a  moose 

245 


246      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

hide  into  a  long  cord ;  and  as  he  ran  away  with 
Summer,  he  left  the  end  of  the  cord  trailing 
behind  him. 

Then  the  little  folk,  the  fairies  of  the  Light, 
pursued  him.  They  saw  the  cord  trailing,  and 
caught  it.  But  as  the  Great  Chief  ran,  he  let 
the  long  cord  run  out,  and  left  the  fairies  far 
behind. 

The  Chief  travelled  on  until  he  came  one© 
more  to  the  lodge  of  the  Giant  Winter.  But 
now  he  could  not  be  charmed.  He  was  stronger 
than  Winter;  for  he  brought  the  Summer  with 
him. 

The  Giant  Winter  welcomed  the  Great  Chief 
for  he  hoped  to  freeze  him  again  into  slumber. 
But  now  this  time  the  Chief  talked.  And  as 
he  talked,  great  drops  of  sweat  began  to  run 
down  old  Winter's  face.  The  Chief  talked  on, 
and  the  Giant  Winter  began  to  melt.  He 
melted,  and  melted,  until  at  last  he  had  quite 
melted  away. 

Then  everything  awoke.  The  grass  grew; 
the  fairies  came  out;  the  snow  melted  and  ran 
down  the  rivers,  carrying  away  the  dead  leaves. 

Then  the  Great  Chief  left  Summer  with 
them,  and  went  home. 


HOW  GLOOSCAP  CONQUERED  HIS 
ENEMIES 

ONCE,  in  the  long  ago,  the  Great  Chief 
Glooscap  lived  on  an  island  called  Aja- 
lig-nn-mechk.  With  him  were  many  Indians, 
who  had  the  names  and  natures  of  animals  and 
birds ;  and  who  had  the  power  to  take  the  form 
of  these  animals  and  birds  when  they  wished. 
All  of  these  Indians  had  magical  power,  but 
they  were  not  so  powerful  as  the  Great  Chief. 
So  they  were  jealous  of  him;  and  at  last  they 
determined  to  go  away  and  leave  him  alone,  and 
to  take  with  them  little  Marten  and  the  grand 
mother,  who  lived  with  Glooscap.  They 
thought  that  if  they  left  him  alone  on  the 
island  he  would  soon  die, — for  they  did  not 
know  the  power  of  the  Master. 

They  waited  until  Glooscap  went  into  the 
forest  on  a  long  journey.  Then  they  made 
everything  ready,  and  stole  away  to  the  canoes. 
But  just  then  Glooscap  came  back  out  of  the 
forest,  and  saw  that  the  grandmother  and 
Marten  were  gone.  He  followed  their  tracks 
to  the  shore.  There  he  saw  Winpe,  a  mighty 

247 


248      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

sorcerer,  his  greatest  enemy,  pushing  off  with 
them  in  a  canoe.  They  were  still  near  the  shore, 
and  Glooscap  called  loudly  to  the  grandmother : 
"Noogumee,  send  me  back  my  dogs." 
These  dogs  were  very  small,  no  larger  than 
mice.  The  grandmother  took  a  small  wooden 
dish,  and  put  it  into  the  water,  and  placed  the 
dogs  upon  it,  and  they  floated  back  to  the  shore. 
Glooscap  took  up  the  dogs,  and  put  them  into 
his  pocket,  and  returned  to  his  wigwam;  and 
his  enemy,  Winpe,  paddled  away  across  the 
water  with  Marten  and  the  grandmother. 

A  long  time  passed,  but  Glooscap  did  not 
pursue  his  enemy.  Some  say  that  it  was  three 
months;  some  say,  seven  years.  Why  he  did 
this  no  one  knows.  Perhaps  it  was  so  that  he 
could  gain  greater  power ;  perhaps  he  had  other 
work  to  do ;  perhaps  he  wished  to  let  his  ene 
mies  suffer.  But  when  the  right  time  came, 
the  Great  Chief  took  his  dogs  and  went  down 
to  the  shore.  He  stood  and  looked  far  out  to 
sea,  and  then  he  began  to  sing  a  magic  song. 
It  was  the  song  that  all  the  whales  obeyed. 
He  watched,  and  soon  a  small  whale  arose  far 
off  in  the  sea.  He  had  heard  the  Great  Chief's 
call,  and  he  came  swimming  to  him.  When  the 
whale  was  close  to  the  shore,  Glooscap  rested 
one  foot  upon  the  whale's  back  to  try  his 
weight;  but  he  was  very  heavy,  and  the  whale 
sank  down  in  the  water. 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  249 

"You  are  not  large  enough,"  said  the  Great 
Chief.  "Eeturn  to  your  home  in  the  ocean. " 

Then  Glooscap  sang  his  magic  song  once 
more.  Soon  there  came  Bootup,  the  largest 
whale  in  all  the  ocean.  Glooscap  stepped  upon 
her  back,  and  she  bore  him  swiftly  away  over 
the  sea. 

Now  as  Bootup  sped  across  the  ocean  she  be 
gan  to  think  that  if  she  went  so  fast  she  might 
run  upon  the  shore,  or  come  to  a  place  where 
the  water  was  shallow,  and  she  could  not  get 
out  again.  This  was  just  what  Glooscap 
wanted  her  to  do. 

As  Bootup  came  near  the  shore  she  kept  ask 
ing  Glooscap  whether  he  could  see  the  land. 
But  Glooscap  always  answered: 

"No." 

Then  Bootup  would  go  on  again  as  fast  as 
she  could.  But  soon  Bootup  saw  clam  shells 
under  the  water,  and  she  was  more  afraid  than 
ever.  She  called  out: 

"My  grandson,  does  not  the  land  show  itself 
in  the  distance  like  a  bow-string?" 

"We  are  still  far  from  land,"  said  Gloos 
cap.  So  she  went  on,  until  the  water  was  so 
shallow  that  they  could  hear  the  clams  sing 
ing. 

Now  these  clams  were  enemies  of  Glooscap; 
and  they  were  singing  to  Bootup,  urging  her  to 
throw  him  into  the  sea  and  drown  him.  She 


250     GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

could  not  understand  what  they  said,  so  she 
asked  Glooscap: 

"My  grandson,  what  are  the  clams  singing?" 

'  *  They  tell  you  to  hurry  me  on  as  fast  as  you 
can,"  said  Glooscap.  So  Bootup  swept  on 
through  the  water,  thinking  that  the  clams  were 
urging  her  to  hurry: — until  all  at  once  she 
found  herself  high  and  dry  on  the  shore.  Then 
she  was  terribly  frightened,  and  she  began  to 
cry  out: 

"Alas,  my  grandchild,  you  have  been  my 
death.  I  shall  never  again  swim  in  the  sea." 

And  Glooscap  answered: 

"Do  not  fear,  Noogumee." 

He  gave  one  push  of  his  bow  against  the 
great  whale  and  she  was  sent  far  out  to  sea. 
Then  Bootup  was  glad  once  more.  She  lighted 
her  pipe,  and  went  sailing  happily  home,  smok 
ing  as  she  went. 

Glooscap  now  began  to  search  for  the  trail 
of  Winpe  and  Marten  and  the  grandmother; 
and  after  a  long  time  he  came  to  a  deserted 
wigwam,  and  there  he  found  a  small  birch-bark 
dish,  which  had  belonged  to  Marten.  Glooscap 
examined  it,  and  saw  that  it  had  been  there  for 
seven  years — although  some  say  it  was  only 
three  months.  So  by  this  he  knew  how  long 
Winpe  had  been  away  from  this  place.  The 
Great  Chief  followed  the  trail  eastward  and 
found  another  deserted  wigwam,  where  Winpe 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  251 

had  been.  Near  this  wigwam  there  was  a 
wretched  lodge,  and  in  it  a  poor,  helpless- 
looking  old  woman,  doubled  over  with  age. 
She  was  really  an  artful  sorceress,  Glooscap 's 
deadly  foe,  who  was  determined  to  kill  him. 
The  Great  Chief  knew  this  at  once.  The  old 
woman  asked  him  to  help  her,  and  Glooscap 
pretended  to  do  everything  she  asked,  but  while 
he  busied  himself  in  the  lodge,  he  put  her 
into  a  deep  sleep  by  his  magic,  and  went  his 
way. 

Soon  the  sorceress  awoke,  and  when  she 
found  that  she  had  been  outwitted,  and  that 
Glooscap 's  contempt  for  her  was  so  great  that 
he  had  scorned  even  to  destroy  her,  she  was 
furious;  and  in  her  rage,  she  pursued  him,  de 
termined  to  be  avenged. 

The  Great  Chief  was  in  no  danger,  and  there 
fore  he  had  no  fear.  He  carried  in  his  bosom 
his  two  little  dogs.  These  dogs  were  no  larger 
than  mice,  but  they  could  immediately  assume 
the  size  and  fury  of  the  largest  animals.  As 
soon  as  the  sorceress  came  near  him,  Glooscap 
took  the  little  dogs  from  his  pocket,  and  said 
to  them: 

"When  I  command  you  not  to  growl,  spring 
upon  her,  and  the  more  loudly  I  call  you  off, 
the  more  furiously  must  you  tear  her." 

When  the  sorceress  saw  the  little  dogs  take 
on  their  giant  forms,  and  heard  their  fierce 


252      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

growls,  she  was  frightened  and  shrank  back 
from  them. 

"Call  off  your  dogs!"  she  shouted. 

The  Master  called  out  to  the  dogs  to  be  quiet, 
but  the  more  he  shouted,  the  more  furious  they 
became.  They  rushed  at  the  sorceress,  and  de 
stroyed  her. 

Glooscap  now  journeyed  on  until  he  came  to 
the  top  of  a  high  mountain.  In  the  distance  he 
saw  a  large  wigwam,  where  two  old  wizards, 
who  hated  him,  lived.  These  wizards  had  two 
daughters. 

When  the  wizards  perceived  by  their  magical 
power  that  the  Great  Chief,  the  enemy  of  all 
evil-doers,  was  near,  they  sent  their  daughters 
out  to  meet  him.  They  gave  them  strings  of 
bear's  meat  to  put  around  his  neck — as  was  the 
custom — but  this  was  magical  meat  which, 
once  around  his  neck,  would  have  strangled  him 
to  death. 

When  Glooscap  saw  the  maidens  coming  to 
meet  him,  he  knew  who  they  were,  and  what 
their  intentions  were.  He  gave  his  dogs  the 
magical  word,  and  let  them  go.  As  soon  as 
they  began  to  growl  at  the  sorcerers,  Glooscap 
commanded  them  to  be  quiet,  saying: 

"  These  maidens  are  my  sisters. "  But  the 
dogs  rushed  on,  and  tore  them  to  pieces. 

Glooscap  took  the  magical  meat  that  was  in 
tended  to  kill  him,  and  went  to  the  wigwam; 


By  permission,  copyright  by  Houghton,  Hifflin  d-  Co. 
Glooscap's  magical  dogs  destroying  the  two  maiden  sorcerers. 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  253 

and  looking  in  at  the  door,  he  threw  it  around 
the  old  man's  neck.  Then  he  went  on,  leaving 
the  sorcerer  strangled  by  the  magical  meat. 

Then  Glooscap  made  his  way  toward  the 
shore;  but  he  must  travel  over  a  mountain 
where  there  was  a  narrow  pass,  guarded  by  a 
Kookwes,  a  terrible  giant.  This  Kookwes 
managed  to  entrap  all  who  passed,  whether 
man  or  beast. 

When  he  saw  Glooscap  approaching,  he  said : 
"Now  I  shall  have  a  capital  dinner." 
Glooscap  gave  his  dogs  the  magical  word, 
and   went   boldly   into   the  pass   to   face   the 
Kookwes.     The  Kookwes  rushed  at  Glooscap 
to  kill  him,  but  the  dogs  with  a  bound  seized 
the  giant  by  the  throat,  and  killed  Mm. 

The  Great  Chief  knew  that  he  had  now  de 
stroyed  all  the  sorcerers  that  beset  his  way, 
and  that  he  must  next  attack  Winpe,  the  great 
est  enemy  of  all.  He  set  out  once  more  upon 
his  journey,  and  soon  reached  the  sea.  He  fol 
lowed  along  the  shore,  stopping  at  the  old 
camping  places  of  Winpe.  He  always  ex 
amined  the  little  bark  dishes  that  were  left  be 
hind,  and  these  told  him  that  he  was  rapidly 
gaining  upon  his  enemy. 

Soon  he  came  to  a  place  where  Winpe  had 
crossed  the  water.  The  Great  Chief  stood 
upon  the  shore,  and  sang  his  magical  song 


254      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

which  the  whales  obeyed.  At  once  a  whale  an 
swered  his  call,  and  carried  him  swiftly  across 
to  the  other  shore.  Glooscap  hastened  on,  and 
followed  along  the  shore  until  he  found  that  he 
was  but  a  three  days'  journey  behind  his 
enemy,  the  terrible  sorcerer,  Winpe. 

Again  he  must  cross  the  water;  and  again  he 
sang  the  magical  song  which  the  whales  obeyed. 
A  great  whale  appeared,  and  soon  carried  him 
safely  to  the  other  side.  Glooscap  now  came  to 
the  place  where  Winpe  had  camped  the  night 
before.  Then  he  hurried,  speeding  over  the 
ground  with  mighty  strides,  and  before  long  he 
overtook  his  old  housekeeper,  weak  and  totter 
ing  with  hunger  and  abuse.  She  was  carrying 
Marten  on  her  back,  for  he  was  so  weak  that 
he  could  walk  no  farther.  Winpe  and  his 
family  were  far  ahead,  but  the  grandmother  did 
not  dare  to  try  to  escape,  for  she  feared  the 
power  of  the  wicked  sorcerer. 

Marten,  who  had  his  face  turned  backward, 
was  the  first  to  spy  Glooscap  following  them. 

'  *  My  elder  brother,  help  us !  Give  ns  food ! ' ' 
he  called. 

"The  Chief  is  not  here,"  the  grandmother 
said  sadly,  "We  left  him  far,  far,  behind. " 

Marten  soon  caught  another  glimpse  of  Gloos 
cap,  and  called  again  for  food.  The  grand 
mother  looked  back  this  time,  and  when  she  saw 
the  Master,  ehe  was  so  overjoyed  that  she 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  255 

fainted.  When  she  became  conscious,  Gloos- 
cap  stood  beside  her.  She  began  to  weep,  and 
to  tell  him  how  cruel  Winpe  had  been  to  them. 

" Think  no  more  of  it,"  said  Glooscap;  "they 
will  soon  have  their  punishment." 

They  travelled  along  together  until  they  came 
to  the  place  where  Winpe  was  camping,  and 
then  Glooscap  said  to  Marten : 

"I  will  hide  here,  and  when  Winpe  sends  yon 
for  water,  make  it  unclean.  And  then  when  he 
scolds  you,  throw  the  baby  into  the  fire  and  run 
to  me." 

Marten  did  just  as  Glooscap  told  him.  He 
put  mud  and  filth  into  the  water,  and  when 
Winpe  saw  it,  he  said : 

" Horrors!  What  terrible  water!  Go  and 
get  some  that  is  clean." 

Marten  tossed  the  baby  into  the  fire,  and 
ran  as  fast  as  he  could  toward  the  place  where 
Glooscap  was  hiding,  calling  out: 

"Nsesako!  My  elder  brother!  Come  and 
help  me." 

Winpe  pursued  him,  vowing  vengeance,  cry 
ing  exultingly: 

"Your  brother  cannot  help  you.  He  is  far, 
far  away,  where  we  left  him;  and  though 
you  burn  the  world,  I  will  seize  you  and  kill 
you." 

On  ran  Marten  with  Winpe  close  behind  him, 
until  they  came  almost  to  Glooscap 's  hiding- 


256      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

place.    Then  the  Great  Chief  sprang  up  and 

stood  before  Winpe. 

The  sorcerer  stopped  short,  and  challenged 

Glooscap  to  fight.     Then  he  stepped  back,  and 

summoned  all  his  magical  powers. 

He  grew  larger  and  larger,  until  his  head 

almost  touched  the  clouds. 

Glooscap  did  not  move,  but  he,  too,  began  to 

put  forth  his  magic ;  he  grew  larger  and  larger 

until  he  towered  above  Winpe,  and  his  head 

reached  far  above  the  clouds  into  the  clear  sky. 
When  Winpe  saw  this,  he  said: 
"You  have  conquered  and  killed  me." 
Glooscap,  scorning  to  fight  Winpe  or  strike 

him,  touched  him  lightly  on  the  head  with  the 

end  of  his  bow,  and  the  wicked  sorcerer  fell 

down  dead. 


THE  EETURN  OF  GLOOSCAP 

AFTER  the  Great  Chief  had  rescued  the 
grandmother  and  Marten  and  had  de 
stroyed  Winpe,  he  built  a  canoe,  and  went 
across  to  the  island  where  the  Kwemoos — the 
Loons — lived.  They  were  friends  of  Glooscap, 
and  he  had  done  them  many  favours.  So  when 
they  knew  that  the  Great  Chief  was  among  them 
they  were  very  glad.  They  held  feasts  and 
games  for  many  days. 

One  day,  while  Glooscap  was  on  the  island 
of  the  Loons,  he  was  standing  on  the  shore  of 
a  lake,  and  the  chief  of  the  Loons,  seeing  him 
standing  there,  came  to  ask  a  favour.  But  as 
he  drew  near  the  Great  Chief  he  was  so  awed 
that  he  did  not  dare  come  to  him,  and  so  he  flew 
around  the  lake.  Three  times  he  came  near, 
and  each  time  he  could  not  speak,  but  flew  away 
again  around  the  lake.  At  last  Glooscap  called 
to  him,  saying,  "Come  to  me." 

Then  the  Loon  flew  to  him,  and  the  Great 
Chief  taught  him  a  shrill,  doleful  cry,  and  said, 
"Whenever  you  or  your  people  need  my  help, 
call  upon  me  in  this  way,  and  I  will  hear  you." 

After  many  days  spent  on  the  island  of  the 

257 


258      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STOBIES 

Loons,  Glooscap  entered  his  canoe  once  more 
with  Marten  and  the  grandmother,  and  soon 
they  came  to  a  broad,  beautiful  river.  They 
travelled  along  this  quiet  river  until  suddenly, 
without  any  warning,  the  river  rushed  down  in 
to  the  earth,  and  was  swept  along  under  ground 
between  cataracts  so  dark  and  frightful  that 
Marten  and  the  old  grandmother  died  of  terror. 
The  canoe  was  drawn  along  with  awful  swift 
ness  through  the  darkness,  and  for  a  long  time 
Glooscap  could  only  sit  quietly  and  guide  it  past 
the  rocks.  At  last  he  saw  far  ahead  a  faint 
light,  and  then  the  canoe  left  the  Cavern  of 
Darkness  and  entered  into  the  sunlight,  where 
the  water  was  smooth,  and  flowers  were  in 
bloom. 

Glooscap  drew  the  canoe  upon  the  bank ;  then 
he  took  Marten  by  the  hand  and  said  to  him, 
"Uchkeen,  my  younger  brother,  numchaase, 
arise !"  Marten  opened  his  eyes,  thinking  that 
he  had  only  been  asleep. 

Then  the  Great  Chief  took  the  grandmother 
by  the  hand  and  said,  "Noogumee,  numchaase 
— arise !"  Then  the  grandmother  came  to  life; 
and  she,  too,  believed  that  she  had  only  been 
sleeping. 

Near  the  landing  place  was  a  lonely  wigwam, 
and  in  this  wigwam  was  an  old  warrior,  who 
had  magical  skill.  He  knew  the  power  of  the 
Great  Chief,  and  wished  to  make  a  trial  of  his 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  259 

own  skill  in  magic.  So  he  determined  to  freeze 
Glooscap,  if  he  could.  As  night  set  in,  he 
brought  in  an  armful  of  wood,  and  said,  "We 
will  have  a  cold  night;  the  sky  is  red." 

So  the  two  sat  and  smoked  through  the  night, 
and  talked.  It  grew  colder  and  colder,  until 
the  cold  put  the  fire  out ;  and  then  the  old  wife 
and  the  grandmother  and  Marten  died.  But 
the  two  magicians  talked  on  until  morning  as 
though  nothing  had  happened. 

In  the  morning  Glooscap  brought  Marten 
and  the  grandmother  and  the  old  wife  to  life, 
and  then  he  invited  his  friend  to  feast  with 
him  in  the  evening. 

The  Great  Chief  now  built  a  lodge,  and  in 
the  evening  the  magician  came  to  visit  him. 
After  the  feast,  the  Great  Chief  said,  slyly, 
"There  will  be  a  great  frost  to-night;  the  sky 
was  red  at  sunset. " 

Then  the  magician  knew  that  Glooscap  would 
take  his  turn  at  magic. 

Glooscap  made  a  blazing  fire,  and  the  two 
smoked  and  talked  as  they  had  done  the  night 
before,  as  though  nothing  were  happening.  It 
grew  colder  and  colder,  until  the  fire  died  out 
and  grandmother  and  Marten  again  died  of  the 
cold,  although  the  Great  Chief  had  wrapped 
many  furs  about  them.  Then  the  poles  of  the 
wigwam  snapped,  and  the  trees  and  the  great 
rocks  outside  cracked  and  fell  in  pieces. 


260      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

In  the  morning  Glooscap  brought  his  dead 
companions  back  to  life,  and  made  ready  to  set 
out  upon  his  journey.  He  took  leave  of  his 
friend,  but  neither  spoke  of  their  great  play 
with  magic. 

The  Great  Chief  travelled  on  until  he  came 
to  the  sea.  Then  he  sang  his  magic  song  which 
the  whales  obeyed,  and  at  once  a  large  whale 
came  to  him.  After  he  had  placed  the  grand 
mother  and  Marten  upon  the  whale's  back,  he 
himself  stepped  on,  and  the  whale  soon  carried 
them  to  the  opposite  shore,  far  away. 

They  landed  near  an  Indian  village,  where 
lived  an  old  Indian,  who  was  so  misshapen  and 
ugly  that  he  had  always  failed  in  winning  a 
wife,  for  the  Indian  maidens  would  not  even 
look  at  him.  His  name  was  Mikchichk — Tor 
toise. 

When  Glooscap  and  the  grandmother  and 
Marten  reached  the  wigwam,  Mikchichk  was 
on  the  shore  spearing  a  salmon:  but  when  he 
saw  them,  he  hastened  home  and  welcomed 
them.  He  gave  the  Great  Chief  the  place  of 
honour  in  the  wigwam,  and  prepared  a  feast. 

When  the  news  that  Glooscap  was  in  the  vil 
lage  had  spread  about,  preparations  were 
made  for  a  public  feast  and  a  dance.  A  crier 
was  sent  about  the  village,  calling  out  as  loud 
as  he  could: 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  261 

"How!  How!  How!"  inviting  every  one  to 
the  feast. 

Now  the  chief  had  two  unmarried  daughters, 
both  of  them  very  beautiful ;  and  Glooscap  ad 
vised  Mikchichk  to  seek  one  of  them  as  his  wife. 

"Long  ago,  I  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  secur 
ing  a  wife/'  said  Mikchichk.  "I  do  not  please 
maidens. " 

"But  I  will  make  you  pleasing  to  every  one," 
said  the  Great  Chief.  So  Glooscap  gave 
Mikchichk  coat  and  leggings,  and  best  of  all, 
his  magical  belt.  And  Mikchichk  was  no  longer 
an  ugly,  deformed  old  man!  The  magical  belt 
had  transformed  him  into  a  young  and  hand 
some  Indian  brave.  He  went  to  the  feast,  and 
he  could  leap  and  run  and  play  ball  and  wrestle 
as  well  as  any  one  there. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  enjoyment  he  met 
with  disaster.  It  was  in  a  game  of  ball; 
Mikchichk  caught  the  ball,  and  was  running 
for  dear  life  to  the  post,  dodging  right  and 
left  to  avoid  his  pursuers — for  all  the  other 
braves  in  the  game  were  jealous  of  the  hand 
some  stranger,  and  all  had  joined  in  the  pur 
suit.  Mikchichk  was  driven  straight  to  his 
own  lodge.  There  was  nothing  left  for  him  to 
do  in  order  to  escape,  but  to  make  a  great  spring 
over  the  lodge.  Mikchichk  tried  to  do  this,  but 
he  missed  his  aim,  and  was  caught  on  the  ridge 
pole,  just  over  the  chimney-hole. 


262      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

Glooscap  had  been  inside  the  wigwam  all  this 
time,  but  he  knew  what  was  happening  outside. 
And  when  Mikchichk  landed  on  the  ridge-pole, 
Glooscap  arose  quietly,  and  piled  fir  boughs  on 
the  fire.  This  made  a  great  smoke,  which 
nearly  stifled  the  Tortoise ;  and  it  so  stained  his 
coat  that  the  marks  never  wore  off,  and  are 
there  until  this  day. 

"You  will  kill  me,  Nulooks,  my  nephew," 
shouted  the  Tortoise. 

"No,  I  will  not,"  answered  Glooscap,  "but 
on  the  contrary  I  will  make  you  immortal. 
You  shall  never  die ;  you  may  live  on  the  land, 
and  you  may  live  in  the  water;  although  your 
head  may  be  cut  off,  it  shall  not  kill  you.  And 
your  heart  shall  still  beat,  even  though  your 
body  be  cut  in  pieces." 

Then  Glooscap  helped  Mikchichk  down,  and 
Mikchichk  said: 

"I  will  leave  this  place,  and  go  on." 

And  Glooscap  said: 

"Whither  will  you  go?" 

"I  will  go  anywhere  and  everywhere, "  said 
Mikchichk.  And  with  this  he  went  away,  and 
has  ever  since  led  a  solitary  life. 

After  the  festival  was  over,  Glooscap  and 
his  companions  set  out  upon  their  journey. 
They  travelled  on  until  they  came  to  the  island 
home  of  Kitpooseagunow.  Kitpooseagunow 
was  himself  a  great  giant  and  a  friend  and 


By  permission,  copyright  by  Houyhton,  Mifflin  d-  Co. 

Glooscap    and   Kitpooseagunow    fishing   for    whale. 


.' ' 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  263 

helper  of  Glooscap,  but  this  did  not  prevent 
their  having  a  hearty  contest  of  magic,  in  which 
they  both  were  nearly  killed.  As  the  two 
giants  talked  that  evening  in  the  wigwam, 
they  called  up  a  great  frost  by  their  magic,  and 
the  trees  were  torn  up  by  their  roots,  and  the 
great  rocks  were  split;  and  all  within  the  wig 
wam  were  frozen  to  death,  except  the  two 
magicians,  who  barely  escaped  with  their  own 
lives. 

In  the  morning  they  brought  their  dead  com 
panions  to  life,  and  then  Kitpooseagunow  said 
to  Glooscap: 

11  To-night,  let  us  go  out  in  the  seas  in  a 
canoe  and  catch  whales  by  torchlight. " 

Nothing  could  please  the  Chief  better,  for  he 
was  a  great  fisherman. 

Now  when  Glooscap  and  Kitpooseagunow 
reached  the  shore,  Glooscap  could  see  plenty  of 
rocks  lying  about,  but  there  was  no  canoe. 
Kitpooseagunow  picked  up  the  largest  of  the 
rocks,  and  put  it  upon  his  head,  and  at  once  it 
became  a  great,  beautiful  canoe,  large  enough 
to  carry  ^He  two  giants.  Then  he  took  up  a 
smaller  stone,  and  this  became  a  paddle.  Then 
he  split  off  a  great  splinter  from  a  ledge  of 
rock,  and  this  was  changed  into  a  spear. 

"Who  will  sit  in  the  stern  and  paddle,  and 
who  will  take  the  spear?"  asked  Glooscap. 

"I  will  take  the  spear, "  said  Kitpooseagunow, 


264      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

So  Glooscap  took  the  paddle,  and  soon  they 
were  far  out  at  sea.  By  and  by  a  whale  glided 
by,  and  Kitpooseagunow  plunged  his  spear  into 
the  back  of  the  great  creature  and  held  it 
lightly  above  his  head,  as  though  it  were  a 
trout,  although  it  reached  above  the  clouds. 
Then  he  tossed  it  into  the  canoe. 

"There,  that  will  do,"  he  said;  "let  us  re 
turn." 

When  they  reached  the  shore,  Kitpooseagu 
now  took  a  stone  knife  and  split  the  whale  end 
to  end  in  two  equal  parts.  He  gave  one  half 
to  Glooscap,  and  took  the  other  half  for  him 
self.  Each  carried  home  his  portion,  and 
roasted  it  for  his  evening  meal,  and  then  ate 
every  morsel! 

After  the  contest  with  Kitpooseagunow,  the 
Great  Chief  travelled  homeward,  taking  with 
him  Marten  and  the  grandmother,  and  at  last 
they  reached  the  lonely  point  of  land,  high 
above  the  water,  where  the  Great  Chief  had  his 
wigwam.  And  then  Glooscap  hung  strings  of 
beautiful  beads  and  wampum  about  the  old 
grandmother 's  neck,  and  made  her  young  and 
beautiful  again ;  and  he  made  wonderful  stones 
for  her — the  turquoise,  and  agate,  and  a  cave 
full  of  purple  amethyst — to  make  her  so  happy 
that  she  would  forget  the  sufferings  she  had 
endured  from  Winpe,  the  giant  sorcerer. 


HOW  GLOOSCAP  TRANSFORMED  THE 
INDIAN 

IN  the  olden  time,  two  Indian  braves  set  out 
upon  an  adventure.  The  younger  one  was 
going  to  seek  a  wife,  and  the  other  went  with 
him  as  his  companion. 

The  two  Indians  travelled  a  long  way 
through  the  forest,  until  at  last  they  came  to 
the  ocean.  In  the  distance,  far  out  from  the 
shore,  they  could  see  an  island ;  and  this  island 
looked  so  pleasant  that  they  thought  they  would 
like  to  visit  it.  So  they  built  a  canoe,  and  set 
out.  When  they  reached  the  island,  they  found 
a  man  living  there  in  a  great  wigwam.  This 
was  Glooscap,  the  Great  Chief,  himself;  and  he 
lived  here  with  only  the  old  grandmother  and 
Marten. 

The  travellers  entered  the  wigwam,  and  sat 
down  upon  the  mat  in  the  place  for  the  guests. 
The  old  grandmother  at  once  placed  food  be 
fore  them,  in  a  very  tiny  dish.  This  dish  was 
so  small,  and  there  was  so  little  food,  the 
travellers  began  to  fear  that  they  would  have 
but  little  to  eat.  But  they  were  mistaken,  for 

265 


'266      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

this  was  magical  food,  and  no  matter  how  mnch 
they  ate,  the  food  was  not  lessened.  There 
was  just  as  much  on  the  platter  as  ever. 

They  spent  the  night  in  the  wigwam  of 
Glooscap;  and  the  next  morning,  before  they 
set  out  upon  their  journey,  the  Great  Chief 
gave  the  older  Indian  new  clothing  and  combed 
his  hair,  and  gave  him  a  magical  hair  string. 
This  hair  string  brought  to  the  Indian  magical 
powers,  and  changed  him  into  a  Megumoowesoo 
— a  good  magician.  Then  Glooscap  gave  him  a 
tiny  flute,  and  taught  him  how  to  play  and  to 
sing.  He  had  never  been  able  to  sing  before, 
but  now,  when  Glooscap  told  him  to  sing,  he 
found  that  he  had  a  wonderful  voice,  and  could 
sing  with  great  ease. 

The  Megumoowesoo  now  asked  Glooscap  to 
loan  them  his  canoe,  so  that  they  might  con 
tinue  their  journey. 

"I  will  lend  you  my  canoe  willingly,"  said 
Glooscap,  "if  you  will  only  bring  it  home 
again.  I  have  never  yet  loaned  it,  but  that  I 
had  to  go  after  it,  before  I  could  get  it  back 
again. ' ' 

"I  will  surely  return  with  the  canoe,"  said 
the  Megumoowesoo. 

Glooscap  took  the  two  young  men  down  to  the 
shore  to  help  them  make  ready  for  their  jour 
ney.  The  travellers  looked  all  about,  but  they 
eould  see  no  canoe.  But  near  the  shore  there 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  267 

was  a  small,  rocky  island,  with  trees  growing 
upon  it. 

"That  is  my  canoe, "  said  Glooscap. 

The  two  Indians  stepped  upon  the  island, 
and  it  glided  away  by  magical  power.  It 
carried  them  straight  out  to  sea,  until  they 
came  to  a  large  island.  They  landed  there, 
and  then  they  set  out  in  search  of  the  people. 
Soon  they  came  upon  a  large  Indian  village, 
where  there  was  a  chief  who  had  a  beautiful 
daughter.  This  chief  was  so  wicked  that  he 
delighted  in  causing  the  death  of  all  his  daugh 
ter  's  suitors.  He  would  give  such  impossible 
tasks  that  they  would  be  killed  in  attempting 
them,  or  else  they  would  be  put  to  death  for 
failing. 

When  the  Megumoowesoo  and  his  friend  en 
tered  the  wigwam,  they  were  given  the  seat  of 
honour;  and  then  the  Megumoowesoo  at  once 
told  their  errand. 

"My  friend  is  tired  of  living  alone/'  he  said 
to  the  chief.  This  meant,  "my  friend  would 
like  to  marry  your  daughter. " 

"He  may  have  my  daughter  for  his  wife," 
said  the  chief,  "but  he  must  first  bring  me  the 
head  of  a  horned  dragon. " 

The  two  Indians  agreed  to  this,  and  then  they 
went  to  another  wigwam  to  pass  the  night. 

In  the  night,  when  the  whole  village  was 
asleep,  the  Megumooweeoo  stole  out  to  hunt  for 


268      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

a  dragon,  and  soon  found  a  hole  in  the  ground 
where  one  was  hiding.  He  placed  a  stick  of 
wood  across  the  hole,  and  then  he  danced  and 
danced  around  the  hole,  singing  to  charm  the 
dragon  out. 

In  a  little  while  the  dragon's  head  appeared, 
and  as  he  began  to  crawl  out  of  the  hole,  he 
dropped  his  neck  upon  the  log  which  the 
Megumoowesoo  had  placed  across  the  entrance. 
Then,  with  one  blow  of  his  hatchet,  the 
Megumoowesoo  cut  off  the  dragon's  head,  and 
took  it  by  its  shining  yellow  horns,  and  placed 
it  beside  his  sleeping  companion.  Then  he 
aroused  him  and  said: 

" Carry  this  dragon's  head  to  the  chief." 

The  suitor  did  as  the  Megumoowesoo  had 
told  him,  and  the  astonished  old  chief  said: 

"This  time  I  shall  lose  my  daughter." 

Then  he  said  to  the  young  man : 

"I  should  like  to  see  my  new  son-in-law  coast 
down  hill  on  a  hand-sled." 

Now  near  the  village  there  was  a  high  moun 
tain  with  steep,  rugged  sides ;  and  this  was  the 
place  the  old  chief  chose  for  the  coasting 
ground.  He  brought  out  two  sleds,  and  gave 
one  to  the  two  strangers,  and  the  other  to  two 
Indians,  who  were  wizards  in  the  form  of  young 
men. 

The  four  Indians  climbed  the  mountain  to 
gether,  and  when  all  was  ready,  the  Megu- 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  269 

moowesoo  and  his  friend  took  the  lead,  and  the 
Megumoowesoo  steered  the  sled.  The  two  wiz 
ards  followed,  thinking  that  the  strangers  would 
soon  fall  from  their  sleds,  and  then  they  could 
run  over  them  and  crush  them  to  death. 

Down  the  mountain  side  they  went  at  a  fear 
ful  rate — down,  down,  down  the  rough  path — 
and  the  young  man  soon  lost  his  balance  and 
fell  from  the  sled.  But  the  Megumoowesoo 
quickly  caught  him,  and  put  him  back  in  his 
place;  and  at  the  same  time  he  turned  a  little 
aside  and  made  the  others  pass  him.  In  an 
instant  they  were  again  under  way,  and  when 
they  reached  the  cliff,  their  sled  made  a  great 
bound  and  leaped  far  over  the  other.  The 
Megumoowesoo  shouted  and  sang  as  they  flew 
on;  the  sled  thundered  to  the  bottom  of  the 
mountain;  it  sped  on  toward  the  village,  with 
undiminished  speed;  it  bounded  through  the 
village  until  it  struck  the  side  of  the  old  chief 's 
wigwam,  and  tore  it  from  end  to  end. 

The  old  chief  sprang  up  in  terror,  and  cried : 
"This  time  I  have  lost  my  daughter!" 
But  he   was   not  willing  to   admit  himself 
beaten  yet. 

"I  should  like  to  see  my  son-in-law  run  a 
race,7'  he  said. 

So  the  young  man  made  ready  to  race  with 
one  of  the  chief's  magicians,  and  as  they  were 
about  to  start,  the  Megumoowesoo  slipped  his 


270      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

flute  into  his  friend's  hand,  thus  giving  him 
magical  power.  The  two  started  off  slowly, 
side  by  side  at  first,  so  that  they  could  talk 
together. 

"Who  and  what  are  you?"  the  young  man 
asked  the  magician. 

"I  am  Wegadesk, — Northern  Lights,"  he  an 
swered.  "And  who  and  what  are  you?" 

"Oh,  I  am  Wosogwodesk, — Chain  Light 
ning,"  said  the  young  man. 

Then  they  began  to  run  at  full  speed.  At 
noon  Chain  Lightning  reached  the  village;  he 
had  run  around  the  whole  world — but  North 
ern  Lights  did  not  appear  until  evening,  and 
then  he  came  in  panting. 

Once  more  the  old  chief  exclaimed: 

"This  time  I  have  lost  my  daughter." 

But  the  chief  had  still  one  more  task,  in 
which  he  hoped  the  young  man  might  yet  be 
killed. 

"I  would  see  my  son-in-law  swim  and  dive, 
before  he  marries  my  daughter,"  he  said. 

Now  as  the  young  man  plunged  into  the 
water  with  his  rival,  who  was  a  Boooin,  he 
asked : 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"I  am  Ukchigumooech,  the  Sea  Duck — And 
who  are  you,"  asked  the  Boooin. 

"Oh,  I  am  Kweemoo,  the  Loon,"  answered 
the  young  man. 


OF  ULOOSCAP  271 

Then  down  they  plunged  into  the  water. 
After  a  long,  long  time  the  Sea-Duck  came  up 
to  the  surface,  but  they  waited  and  waited  for 
the  Loon  to  appear.  When  at  last  the  Loon 
did  appear,  the  old  chief  said: 

"My  son-in-law,  /  have  lost  my  daughter. 
You  are  stronger  than  I.  You  may  take  my 
daughter  and  go — but  first  the  wedding  dance 
must  be  held,  and  every  one  must  take  part  in 
it" 

The  Megumoowesoo  suspected  more  magical 
work,  and  he  determined  to  break  up  any  plot 
the  old  chief  might  have  to  harm  them.  The 
dancing  ground  was  a  cleared,  well-beaten  spot 
near  the  chief's  wigwam;  and  when  all  had 
gathered  there,  and  the  dance  was  about  to  be 
gin,  the  Megumoowesoo  suddenly  sprang  into 
the  dancing  ground  and  began  to  dance. 
Around  and  around  the  circle  he  stepped  in  a 
measured  tread,  and  at  every  step  his  feet  sank 
deeper  and  deeper  into  the  smooth  earth, 
ploughing  it  up  into  high,  uneven  ridges. 
Deeper  and  deeper  he  sank,  and  higher  and 
higher  became  the  furrows  about  him,  until 
nothing  but  his  head  could  be  seen  above  the 
ground  as  he  danced  about  the  circle.  Then  he 
stopped.  He  had  made  the  ground  unfit  for 
the  dance,  and  so  the  old  chief  could  play  no 
magic  that  day. 

Then  at  last  the  young  man  and  his  bride 


272      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

and  the  Megumoowesoo  started  out  for  home 
in  the  magical  canoe, — but  their  troubles  were 
not  yet  over,  for  the  wicked  old  chief  had  sent 
some  of  his  magicians  ahead  to  destroy  them 
on  the  way.  As  the  Megumoowesoo  and  his 
friend  glided  along  in  the  magical  canoe,  they 
suddenly  discovered  that  a  storm  had  been  con 
jured  ahead  of  them,  and  was  rushing  upon 
them.  The  Megumoowesoo  must  meet  this 
with  his  magic  in  order  to  save  them.  So  he 
stood  up  in  the  canoe,  and  began  to  call  up  a 
storm.  Soon  the  two  storms  had  met  in  mid- 
ocean, — but  the  Megumoowesoo 's  storm  was 
the  stronger,  and  swept  the  magician's  storm 
out  to  sea,  and  left  a  great  calm. 

Then  they  passed  a  great  beaver,  which  was 
really  a  Boooin  in  disguise,  planning  to  capsize 
the  canoe.  But  the  Megumoowesoo  said: 

"I  am  a  capital  hand  to  hunt  beavers;"  and 
with  one  blow  with  his  hatchet  he  killed  the 
beaver. 

Then  they  passed  other  magicians  in  dis 
guise,  and  killed  them  all;  and  at  last  they 
came  unharmed  to  the  island  of  Glooscap  and 
found  the  Great  Chief  waiting  for  them  on  the 
shore. 

"Well  my  friends,  I  see  that  you  have  re 
turned  my  canoe,"  he  said. 

"We  have,  indeed,"  they  replied. 


LEGENDS  OP  GLOOSCAP  273 

"How  have  you  fared  I"  Glooscap  then 
asked. 

Then  they  told  him  about  their  adventures, 
but  the  Chief  knew  all  this,  because  he  alone 
had  helped  them  in  all  their  trials. 

As  they  were  leaving,  Glooscap  said  to  the 
Megumoowesoo : 

"If  ever  you  are  in  trouble,  you  have  but 
to  think  of  me,  and  I  will  send  assistance  to 
you." 

The  two  men  and  the  bride  started  home 
ward;  and  when  they  reached  the  deep  forest, 
they  separated.  The  young  man  and  the  bride 
went  to  their  home,  to  begin  their  daily  life  to 
gether,  and  the  Megumoowesoo  departed  to  lead 
that  higher  life  to  which  Glooscap  had  ap 
pointed  him. 


HOW  GLOOSCAP  DEFEATED  THE  SOK- 
CEEEES 

IN  the  olden  time  there  was  a  man  who  had 
three  sons  and  a  daughter.  All  were  ma 
gicians  and  giants.  They  ate  human  flesh,  and 
did  everything  that  was  horrible  and  wicked; 
and  the  world  soon  grew  tired  of  them  and 
all  their  doings.  Yet  when  these  people  were 
young,  Glooscap  had  been  their  friend.  He 
had  made  the  father  his  adopted  father;  the 
brother,  his  brother;  and  the  sister,  his  sister. 
As  they  grew  older,  and  he  began  to  hear  on 
every  side  about  their  evil  deeds,  Glooscap  said : 

"I  will  go  among  them,  and  see  whether  this 
is  all  true.  If  it  is, — they  shall  die.  I  will  not 
spare  one  of  those  who  devour  men  and  op 
press  them,  I  do  not  care  who  he  may  be." 

So  the  Great  Chief  went  to  the  sorcerers.  It 
happened  that  their  father  had  but  one  eye. 
Glooscap  made  himself  like  him,  so  like  him 
that  in  no  way  were  they  different.  He  went 
to  the  wigwam,  and  sat  down  by  the  old  man. 
The  brothers  came  in,  and  seeing  the  newcomer 
so  like  their  father,  they  said : 

274 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  275 

"Here  is  a  great  magician.  But  he  shall  be 
tried  before  he  goes,  and  that  bitterly." 

Then  the  sister  took  the  tail  of  a  whale  and 
cooked  it  for  the  stranger  to  eat.  But  as  it 
lay  before  Glooscap  on  the  platter,  the  elder 
brother  came  in  and  said  rudely,  "This  is  too 
good  for  a  beggar  like  you,"  and  took  it  away 
to  his  own  wigwam. 

Then  the  Great  Chief  said,  "What  was  given 
to  me  is  mine;  so  I  take  it  again."  And  sitting 
where  he  was,  he  willed  for  the  food  to  come  to 
him;  and  it  came  flying  into  the  platter.  Then 
Glooscap  ate  it. 

The  brother  said,  ' '  Surely,  he  is  a  great  ma 
gician  ;  but  he  shall  be  tried  before  he  goes,  and 
that  bitterly." 

When  Glooscap  had  finished  eating,  the 
brothers  brought  in  a  great  bone,  the  jaw  of 
a  whale;  and  the  eldest  brother,  using  both 
arms,  and  all  of  his  strength,  bent  the  bone. 
Then  he  handed  it  to  the  Great  Chief ;  and  he, 
with  his  thumb  and  finger,  snapped  it  like 
a  pipe  stem.  And  the  brothers  said  again, 
"Surely,  he  is  a  great  magician,  but  he  shall 
be  tried  before  he  goes,  and  that  bitterly." 

Then  they  brought  a  great  pipe  full  of  the 
strongest  tobacco.  No  man  could  have  smoked 
it  unless  he  were  a  magician.  They  passed  the 
pipe  around,  and  every  one  smoked.  The 
brothers  blew  the  smoke  through  their  nostrils, 


276     .GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

but  when  the  pipe  came  to  Glooscap,  he  filled 
it  full  again,  lighted  it,  and  with  one  pull  burned 
all  the  tobacco  into  ashes,  and  blew  all  the  smoke 
through  his  nostrils  at  one  puff. 

Then  the  brothers  were  angry,  and  said  again, 
"This  is  indeed  a  great  magician,  but  he  shall 
be  tried  before  he  goes,  and  that  bitterly." 

They  tried  again  to  smoke  with  him.  They 
closed  the  wigwam  and  hoped  to  smother  him 
in  smoke.  But  Glooscap  sat  and  smoked  away 
as  though  he  were  on  a  mountain  top.  At  last 
the  brothers  could  bear  the  smoke  no  longer, 
and  they  said,  "This  is  idle.  Let  us  go  and 
have  a  game  of  ball." 

The  place  where  they  were  to  play  was  on  a 
plain,  and  Glooscap  saw  that  the  ball  with  which 
they  played  was  a  hideous  skull.  It  was  alive 
and  snapped  at  his  heels  when  it  rolled.  If  he 
had  been  as  other  men,  and  had  been  bitten  so, 
it  would  have  taken  off  his  foot.  But  Glooscap 
laughed  and  said,  "So  this  is  the  game  you 
play.  Good!  But  let  us  each  have  a  ball." 

With  that  he  stepped  to  a  tree  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  broke  off  the  end  of  a  bough. 
At  once  this  turned  into  a  skull  ten  times  more 
terrible  than  the  other. 

The  giants  ran  before  this  horrible  ball;  but 
it  pursued  them,  and  they  fled  from  the  field. 

Then  the  Great  Chief  stamped  upon  the  sand, 
and  the  waters  arose  and  flooded  the  place, 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  277 

and  streams  and  rivers  poured  from  the  moun 
tain  side.  The  whole  land  trembled  with  the 
roar.  Then  the  Great  Chief  sang  a  magic  song 
which  changes  all  beings,  and  all  the  wicked 
sorcerers  were  transformed  into  sharks. 


HOW  GLOOSCAP  WAS  CONQUEEED 
BY  WASIS 

IN  the  long  ago  it  came  to  pass,  when  Glooscap 
had  conquered  all  his  enemies — the  Kew- 
ahqu',  the  giants  and  sorcerers,  and  the  M'teou- 
lin,  magicians,  and  the  Pamela,  the  evil  spirit 
of  the  night,  and  all  kinds  of  ghosts,  witches, 
devils,  cannibals,  and  goblins,  he  began  to  think 
upon  what  he  had  done,  and  he  wondered 
whether  his  work  on  earth  were  finished. 

And  he  spoke  these  thoughts  to  a  woman, 
who  was  clever  and  ready  of  tongue.  But  she 
replied,  "Not  so  fast,  Master,  for  there  yet  re 
mains  One  whom  no  one  has  ever  conquered, 
nor  got  the  better  of  in  any  way,  and  who  will 
remain  unconquered  to  the  end  of  time." 

"And  who  is  he?"  asked  the  Master. 

"It  is  the  mighty  Wasis,"  the  woman  re 
plied  ;  "and  there  he  sits.  And  I  warn  you  that 
if  you  meddle  with  him  you  will  be  in  sore 
trouble." 

Now  Wasis  was  the  Baby!  And  he  sat  upon 
the  floor,  sucking  a  piece  of  maple  sugar, 
greatly  contented,  troubling  no  one. 

As  the  lord  of  Men  and  Beasts  had  never 

278 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  279 

married,  nor  had  a  child,  he  knew  nothing  of 
the  way  of  managing  children.  But,  like  all 
such  people,  he  felt  very  certain  that  he  knew 
all  about  it.  So  he  turned  to  the  baby  with  a 
sweet  smile,  and  bade  the  little  one  come  to  him. 

The  Baby  smiled  back  at  the  Great  Chief, 
but  he  did  not  budge. 

Then  the  Master  spoke  sweetly,  and  made  his 
voice  like  the  sound  of  a  summer  bird,  but  it 
was  of  no  avail,  for  Wasis  sat  still  and  sucked 
his  maple  sugar,  and  looked  at  Glooscap  with 
untroubled  eyes. 

And  then  the  Master  frowned  as  in  great 
anger,  and  spoke  in  an  awful  voice,  and  ordered 
Wasis  to  come  crawling  to  him  at  once.  Baby 
burst  out  into  wild  tears  and  screams — but  for 
all  that  he  did  not  move  one  inch. 

Then  the  Master,  since  he  could  do  but  one 
thing  more,  tried  that.  Glooscap  had  recourse 
to  magic.  He  used  his  most  dreadful  spells; 
he  sang  the  songs  which  raise  the  dead,  and 
scare  the  devils,  and  drive  the  witches  to  their 
graves,  and  bend  the  great  pines  in  the  forest. 
And  all  the  time  Wasis  sat  and  looked  at  him 
admiringly,  and  seemed  to  think  it  interesting 
— but  for  all  that  he  did  not  stir. 

So  in  despair  Glooscap  gave  up,  for  he  had 
no  more  arts.  And  Wasis,  sitting  on  the  floor 
in  the  sunshine,  went,  "Goo!  Goo!" 

And  to  this  day,  when  you  see  a  baby,  quite 


280      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

content,  saying  "goo!  goo!"  and  crowing,  you 
may  be  sure  he  is  thinking  of  the  time  when  he 
overcame  the  Great  Chief,  who  had  conquered 
all  the  world. 

For  of  all  beings  that  have  ever  been,  since 
the  world  began,  Baby  alone  is  invincible. 


HOW  THE  INDIANS  SOUGHT  THE 
GEEAT  CHIEF 

AFTEE  Glooscap,  the  Great  Chief,  had  left 
the  Indians,  and  had  gone  to  his  home  in 
the  far  west,  the  Indians  were  very  lonely 
without  him,  and  many  often  wished  they  might 
go  in  search  of  him.  They  did  not  know  where 
he  was,  and  so  they  were  uncertain  which  way 
to  go;  but  they  knew  that  while  he  was  with 
them  he  was  never  far  away,  and  that  he  could 
always  be  found  by  those  who  were  willing  to 
seek  him. 

At  last  four  Indians  determined  to  go  in 
search  of  the  Great  Chief.  They  started  from 
home  in  the  early  spring,  and  they  travelled 
through  forests  and  over  rivers,  and  through 
wide  fields  in  the  heat  of  the  summer.  They 
went  on  and  on,  and  cold  winter  came  upon 
them.  But  they  never  thought  of  turning  back ; 
they  had  started  out  in  search  of  the  Master, 
and  they  would  go  until  they  had  found  him. 
Sometimes  they  would  fall  in  the  deep  snow, 
and  they  were  very  often  hungry  and  thirsty 
and  cold,  but  they  kept  on,  and  at  last  the  winter 
ended,  and  spring  came  to  them  again.  And 
then  spring  passed  and  it  was  summer  time. 

281 


282      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

One  day  in  mid-summer,  the  Indians  came 
upon  a  trail  in  the  forest.  They  followed  it 
until  it  brought  them  out  to  a  beautiful  river. 
It  wound  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  until  it 
came  to  a  place  where  the  river  spread  out  into 
a  broad,  peaceful  lake.  They  followed  the  trail, 
which  led  at  last  to  a  point  of  land  far  out  in 
the  middle  of  the  lake.  From  the  top  of  a  hill 
they  saw  smoke  coming  up  through  the  trees, 
and  at  last  they  reached  a  large,  well-built  wig 
wam. 

The  Indians  entered  the  wigwam,  and  saw 
a  man  of  middle  age,  with  a  calm,  strong  face, 
seated  on  the  right  side  of  the  fire,  in  the 
master's  place.  On  the  other  side,  there  sat  a 
woman,  doubled  over  with  age,  and  very  feeble. 
There  was  another  mat  spread  out  on  the  floor, 
as  though  a  third  person  had  a  seat  there. 
The  master  of  the  wigwam  received  the  guests 
kindly,  but  did  not  ask  them  whence  they  had 
come,  or  whither  they  were  going,  as  is  the  In 
dian  custom. 

After  a  time  they  heard  the  sound  of  a  pad 
dle,  and  the  noise  of  a  canoe  drawn  from  the 
water,  and  after  that,  footsteps  outside.  Pres 
ently,  a  well-dressed  Indian  brave  of  beautiful 
form  and  features  entered  with  his  weapons, 
showing  that  he  had  come  from  the  hunt. 

"Keejoo,"  he  said  to  the  old  woman,  "  there 
is  game  without." 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  283 

The  old  woman,  weak  and  tottering,  brought 
in  four  beavers,  and  began  to  dress  them.  But 
she  was  so  feeble  and  slow  that  the  master 
of  the  wigwam  said,  "Uchkeen,  my  younger 
brother,  take  the  work  from  the  mother  and 
finish  it  yourself." 

The  young  hunter  dressed  the  beaver,  and  in 
a  short  time  he  had  cooked  a  large  portion,  and 
set  it  before  the  weary,  hungry  travellers. 

The  Indians  had  rested  in  this  quiet  place 
for  several  days,  when  one  morning  the  master 
of  the  wigwam  said,  "Uchkeen,  my  younger 
brother,  bathe  Keejoo's  face." 

The  younger  brother  did  as  he  was  told,  and 
at  once  the  grandmother's  wrinkles  vanished, 
and  she  became  young  again  and  very  fair.  He 
then  combed  her  hair  and  braided  it,  and  it  was 
no  longer  white,  but  black  and  glossy.  And 
then  he  dressed  her  in  a  beautiful  robe,  and 
now,  instead  of  being  old,  bent  down  and  feeble, 
she  became  straight  and  active  and  strong. 

The  Indians  looked  on  in  wonder.  They 
realised,  now,  that  whoever  their  host  might 
be,  he  was  possessed  of  great  power,  and 
they  knew  that  he  had  done  this  wonderful  thing 
to  show  them  what  manner  of  man  he  was. 

The  master  now  invited  his  guests  to  walk 
with  him,  and  when  they  went  out  they  saw 
that  the  place  was  beautiful  beyond  belief. 


284      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

There  were  tall  trees,  with  the  greenest  foliage, 
covered  with  beautiful,  fragrant  blossoms, 
standing  in  rows  so  straight  and  so  far  apart, 
that  the  visitors  could  see  a  great  distance  in 
every  direction.  The  air  was  balmy  and  sweet ; 
and  everywhere  there  seemed  to  be  a  sense  of 
health  and  happiness  and  rest.  The  owner  of 
this  beautiful  spot  now  said,  "Whence  do  you 
come,  and  whither  are  you  going  ?" 

"We  have  travelled  from  a  far-off  country," 
the  visitors  said,  "and  we  are  in  search  of 
Glooscap,  the  Great  Chief." 

The  master  of  the  wigwam  looked  at  them 
and  said,  "I  am  Glooscap.  What  have  you  to 
ask  of  me!" 

One  Indian  said,  "0  Master,  I  am  a  very 
wicked  man;  I  have  an  ugly  temper,  and  I 
would  be  meek  and  good." 

"That  is  well,"  said  Glooscap. 

Then  the  second  Indian  said,  "I  am  very 
poor.  I  have  never  been  successful  in  any 
thing  I  have  tried  to  do.  I  would  like  to  have 
riches. ' ' 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  Master.  "And  you?" 
he  asked,  turning  to  the  third. 

"I  am  despised  and  hated  by  my  people,"  the 
Indian  answered,  "and  I  wish  to  be  loved  and 
respected." 

"That  is  well,"  Glooscap  again  said.     Then 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  285 

he  turned  to  the  last  Indian.  "And  you? 
What  would  you  have  f  "  he  asked. 

Now  this  Indian  was  a  fine  looking  young 
brave,  vain  of  his  good  looks.  And  he  said, 
"I  would  like  to  live  a  long  time,  and  never 
grow  old." 

"You  have  asked  a  hard  thing, "  said  Gloos- 
cap,  shaking  his  head,  "yet  we  will  see  what 
can  be  done." 

The  next  day  Glooscap  took  the  four  men  to 
a  hill,  which  they  had  not  noticed  before.  It 
was  very  rocky  and  sandy,  and  hard  to  climb. 
There  were  no  trees,  and  the  sun  shone  there 
from  morning  until  night.  Glooscap  stood  be 
fore  the  man  who  had  asked  to  live  a  long  time, 
and  clasped  him  around  the  waist.  Then  he 
lifted  the  astonished  Indian  from  the  ground, 
and  set  him  down  again,  and  passed  his  hands 
over  his  body,  twisting  him  as  he  did  so. 

When  Glooscap  removed  his  hands,  the  In 
dians  saw  that  their  companion  had  been 
changed  into  an  old,  gnarled  cedar  tree,  with 
limbs  growing  out  rough  and  ugly  all  the  way 
from  the  ground. 

i  l  There, ' '  said  Glooscap.  ' '  I  cannot  tell  how 
long  you  will  live, — the  Great  Spirit  alone  can 
tell  that.  But  I  think  that  you  will  not  be  likely 
to  be  disturbed  for  a  long  time,  as  no  one  will 
have  reason  to  cut  you  down ;  you  are  unfit  for 
any  purpose,  and  the  ground  about  is  of  no 


286      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

use  for  planting.  Yes,  I  think  that  yon  will 
stand  here  for  a  good,  long  time." 

The  three  companions  were  horror-stricken, 
and  began  to  fear  for  their  own  fate.  They 
thought  that  something  terrible  might  happen 
to  them.  Glooscap  took  them  back  to  the 
lodge,  and  opened  his  medicine  bag,  and  took 
out  three  small  boxes.  He  gave  one  to  each  of 
the  Indians.  And  he  gave  to  each,  also,  fresh 
clothes,  all  beautifully  finished  and  ornamented ; 
and  the  Indians  put  them  on. 

"In  which  direction  does  your  home  lief" 
Glooscap  then  asked. 

"We  do  not  know  the  way,"  they  replied. 
"It  is  far  from  here.  We  spent  one  long  sum 
mer,  and  the  winter,  and  spring,  and  half  an 
other  summer  to  come  hither.  We  do  not  know 
whether  we  can  ever  find  our  homes  again." 

Glooscap  smiled  and  said,  "I  know  the  way 
very  well.  I  have  often  travelled  over  it." 

"We  would  have  you  for  our  guide  then,"  the 
Indians  said. 

So,  early  the  next  morning,  Glooscap  put  on 
his  belt,  and  set  off  on  the  journey,  and  the  other 
Indians  followed  him.  About  the  middle  of  the 
forenoon  they  reached  the  top  of  a  high  moun 
tain.  From  there  they  could  see  another  moun 
tain  far  off  in  the  distance,  like  a  blue  line 
against  the  sky.  The  Indians  thought  that  it 


LEGENDS  OF  GLOOSCAP  287 

'would  take  them  at  least  a  week  to  reach  the 
distant  mountain.  They  travelled  on,  and  to 
their  astonishment,  in  the  middle  of  the  after 
noon — they  reached  the  mountain.  When  they 
stood  upon  the  top,  Glooscap  said,  "Look  about 
you." 

The  Indians  looked,  and  there  before  them 
was  their  own  native  village! 

Then  the  Great  Chief  left  them,  and  returned 
to  his  own  home  in  the  far  west. 

When  the  Indians  reached  home,  no  one 
knew  them,  at  first,  they  were  so  changed. 
But  soon  they  were  surrounded  by  old  and 
young,  all  eager  to  hear  their  wonderful  story. 

And  when  they  went  to  their  wigwams  and 
were  alone,  they  opened  the  boxes  which  they 
had  kept  carefully  closed  as  Glooscap  had  told 
them.  In  these  boxes  there  was  an  ointment, 
and  when  they  had  rubbed  the  ointment  over 
their  bodies,  the  wish  that  each  one  had  made 
to  Glooscap  was  granted. 

The  one  who  had  been  despised  and  hated 
and  shunned  now  became  beautiful  and  loved 
by  every  one. 

The  one  who  wished  riches  had  all  he  could 
ask.  Success  followed  him  whenever  he  went 
upon  the  hunt,  and  plenty  reigned  in  his  wig 
wam. 

And  best  of  all,  the  man  who  wished  to  be 


288      GLOOSCAP  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

meek  and  good  was  granted  his  wish.  He  was 
ever  after  free  from  his  faults,  and  went  about 
doing  good. 

Such  was  the  work  of  Glooscap,  the  Great 
Chief. 

And  kespeadooksit — the  story  ends. 


GLOSSAEY 


GLOSSARY  OF  MICMAC  WORDS 

Key  to  pronunciation.  Consonants:  g  sounded  hard,  always, 
as  in  go;  c,  exactly  like  k;  ch,  as  in  church. 

Vowels:  a  as  in  father;  a  as  in  fate;  a  as  in  fat;  d  as  in  sec 
ond  a  in  abaft; 

e  as  in  me;  e  as  in  met;  ei  as  i  in  pine   (ei  in  height)  ; 

i  as  in  pin;  o  as  in  no;  d  as  in  not;  u  as  in  use;  u  as  in  tub; 

oo  as  in  fool;  66  as  in  good;  ow  as  in  now. 

When  vowels  are  doubled  as  aa,  the  usual  sound  of  these  let 
ters  is  prolonged. 

Accent:  The  usual  place  for  the  accent  in  Micmac  is  on  the 
penult.  (In  this  glossary  the  accent  has  been  marked  upon 
each  word,  in  order  to  indicate  pronunciation  clearly.) 

M  GT  n  at  the  beginning  of  a  word  preceded  by  an  accent,  thus 
'm,  'n,  is  sounded  without  a  vowel. 

A  bis  ta  na  ooch'  Marten;   sable. 

Ab  lee  gu  mooch'  Rabbit. 

Ab  le  ge  moo'  Bullfrog. 

Antawa'as  Yellow  woodpecker    (it  has  the  same 

form  in  the  plural). 

Atookw6'kun  A  wonder  tale;   a  fabulous  story. 

Boo6'in  A  magician  who  exercised  his  power 

for     evil;     a     medicine     man;      a 

wizard. 
Boot'uP  Whale.     The    suffix    askw    (or    skw) 

fern.  gen.  usually  denotes  wife;  as,( 

Bootupskw,     Mrs.     Whale;     Mooin 

askw,  Mrs.  Bear. 
ChSnoo'  A  fierce  cannibal  giant  of  the  north, 

with  heart  of  ice  and  stone. 
Che  pgch'  calm  A  horned  dragon;  the  tutelary  deity 

of  Boooins. 

Cool  na  joo*  Stupid. 

291 


292 


GLOSSARY 


Cul  loo' 

Ka'  ka  kooch' 

Kee  joo' 

Kee  on  ik' 

Kek  wa  joo' 

Kes  pS  a  dook'  sit 

Kit'  poo  se'  a  gu  now' 

Kook'  w6s 
Kwee  moo' 
Man  I  too' 


Me  gu  moo'  w5  soo 


Mik  chichk' 

Mini  kii  da  wo  goosk' 

Mini  ku  da  wok' 

Mog  waa' 

Moo'  in 

Moo'  in  Wop'  skw 

Niks  ka  mich' 

Noo'  goon      oos  koo  de"s- 

kuck 

Noo  gu'  mee 

Noo  je  ke  si  gu  no  da'  sit 
'N  sees' 
N  se  sa'  ko 
'N  toos' 
Num  chaa'  se 
Nu  meea' 
Nu  looks' 
Oo  chi  ge  a'  skw 
Oo  chi  ge  op  eh' 
Pan  tab  do  oe'       'n  toos' 

lo'  ke  cy  ow  chee' 
Pow'  wow 


A  mythical  monster  bird  with  one 
hundred  claws. 

A  crow. 

Mother. 

Otter. 

Badger. 

The  story  endc. 

One  (either  human  or  animal)  taken 
from  his  mother's  side. 

A  cannibal  giant. 

Loon. 

A  god  from  the  spirit  world,  who 
can  do  anything  that  he  is  re 
quested  to  do. 

Supernatural  beings  living  in  the  for 
est,  who  exercised  their  power  for 
good. 

Tortoise. 

Moosewood   man. 

Moosewood  tree. 

No. 

Bear;  Mooin  asJcw,  Mrs.  Bear. 

A  huge  white  bear. 

Grandfather. 

Spare  my  backbone;  let  my  backbone 
remain  uninjured. 

Grandmother. 

The  wringer  and  dryer   dt   socks. 

My  brother  older  than  I. 

My  brother. 

My  daughter. 

Arise. 

My  sister. 

Nephew. 

Scarred  face  maiden. 

Scarred  face  brave. 

Open  the  door  for  me,  my  daughter, 

I  am  very  cold. 

A  sorcerer. 


GLOSSARY 


293 


Pow7  wowed 
Pu  16  wech' 
Ta  koo  6'  now 

Team' 
Te  6'  mul 
Uch  keen' 
Ukch  sa  ku'  mou 
Uk  chi  gu  moo'  ech 
U'sita  bulajoo' 
Wa'  sis 
WS  ga  desk' 
Weu  ku'  juh 
Win'  pe 

Wo  sog  w6  desk* 


To  be  transformed  by  magic. 

Partridge. 

A   species   of   trout   but   brighter   in 

colour.     ( Adagwaasoo  is   trout.) 
Moose. 

A  tutelar  deity. 
My  younger  brother. 
Great  chief. 
Sea  duck. 

Hung  up  by  the  heels. 
Baby. 

Northern  lights. 
Red  ochre. 
A   powerful   sorcerer;    one   of   Gloos- 

cap's  greatest  enemies. 
Chain  lightning. 


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